Speakers

Speaker profile

Richard Branson is Founder of the Virgin Group. Virgin is one of the world’s most irresistible brands and has expanded into many diverse sectors from travel to telecommunications, health to banking and music to leisure.

Having started Virgin as a mail order record retailer in 1970, Richard founded Virgin Records. After the first Virgin Artist, Mike Oldfield, released “Tubular Bells”. Virgin Records went to sign household names from the Sex Pistols to The Rolling Stones. There are now more than 40 Virgin companies worldwide in over 35 countries.

Richard has challenged himself with many record-breaking adventures, including the fastest ever Atlantic crossing, a series of oceanic balloon journeys and kitesurfing across the Channel. He has described Virgin Galactic, the world’s first commercial airline, as being “The greatest adventure of all”. Richard has nearly 40 million followers on social media and blogs regularly on issues ranging from entrepreneurship to the environment and adventure to purpose.

Since starting youth culture magazine Student Ages 15, Richard has found entrepreneurial ways to drive positive change in the world. In 2004 Richard established Virgin Unite, the non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group, which unites people and entrepreneurial ideas to create opportunities for a better world. Most of his time is now spent building businesses that will make a positive difference in the world and working with Virgin Unity and organizations it has incubated, such as The Elders, The B Team and Ocean Unite.