Richard Branson

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson , born the July 18th 1950 in Shamley Green (Surrey, the United Kingdom) is famous a British contractor , known thanks to many successes which it met with his mark Virgin, which gathers many activities like airline companies or chains of distribution.

In France, one especially knows it like the ex-owner of the Virgin Megastore S (yielded in 2001 to the Lagardere group). He also created Virgin Atlantic (air transport), Virgin Cola (Soda S), Virgin Direct (produced financial), Virgin Trains (rail-bound transports), Virgin Mobile (mobile telephony), Virgin Active (sports Hall), Virgin Money (Finance) and Virgin Galactic (space tourism).

Biography

Dyslexic child (a disorder not recognized at the time), Richard Branson led poor studies to Scaitcliffe School then Stowe School . Its headmaster would have told him " You will finish in prison or milliardaire." He was right since he did a little prison then became billionaire.

Excel sporting, until an accident which reaches it with the knee, it shows then an early desire for undertaking: at 8 years, it launches out, without success, in a plantation of Sapin S (for trade of Christmas trees), then in the breeding of corrugated parakeets.

At 16 years, interested by the writing and the publication, Branson the school for London leaves, in order to launch out full-time in the creation of an independent magazine for students. Associated with Jonathan Holland-Gems, it founds the magazine Students , and succeeds in attracting or interviewing prestigious contributors. It diversifies then the activities carried on behind the mark Students by opening the Student Advisory Center , which ensures, amongst other things, a form of family planning for students. This activity will exist then under the name of HELP! . Monopolized by the search for sponsors and the business management and noting the difficulties of the magazine activity, Richard Branson reorientates himself towards the record sales by correspondence, employment more gainful on a market under development full. It is at this time that the name Virgin is selected, on the proposal of a collaborator having said " We all are virgin in business".

In order to face an important strike of the British post office, which calls into question the activity of mail-order selling, Branson opens a first shop with London, on Oxford Street. It carries out then its first important investment by buying a property close to Oxford, which it makes equip with a studio of recording by Tom Newman and Phil Newell. The studio, where the artists can also reside, is called " Manoir". A little later Richard Branson launches the label Virgin Records with Nik Powell and Simon Draper.

The first album published under the Virgin label is Tubular Bells of Mike Oldfield. Richard Branson organizes the promotion of the disc and holds the role to manage of Oldfield. This album proves to be a colossal success. It will sell more than ten million specimens in ten years (sales cumulated of seventeen million about 2000). Branson must then succeed in diversifying the artists of the Virgin label, too associated with the movement progressive Hippie and represented by Mike Oldfield, which ensures the main part of the benefit of Virgin during the first years with Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn. The change of image will be ensured by the signature of “scandalous” the Sex Pistols, and the diversification pop-rock'n'roll devoted by the arrival of artists such as Phil Collins or Culture Club.

In the Eighties, Virgin progresses very quickly and diversifies its activities with various fortunes: books, video, restoration… The chain of small British stores makes place with the global area network of Virgin Megastores. The activity in which Branson is invested more is air transport, so much so that it sells Virgin Music in Thorn EMI in 1992 to develop Virgin Airways.

Branson would be with the head of a fortune of more than 3 billion pounds sterling.

Facts and anecdotes

Richard Branson is the first to have crossed the Atlantic as a mongolfière. He did not hesitate either with sponsoriser his friend, American Steve Fossett, disappeared on September 4th, 2007 and which was him also holder of a very great number of records.
Richard Branson declares Libertarien. One thus includes/understands his made proposal in February 2007, to create in Great Britain a bank " mutualiste" of blood of umbilical cord within the Virgin group. The taking away and storage would be paying, but the use would not be limited to the only personal use therapeuthic, 80% being available within a public bank of grafts.
Richard Branson makes an appearance in the film Casino Royal (2006).

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