Richard's Blog - 2009

Ask Richard #12

Sam Young asked me: 'My Dad's claim to fame is that he picked you up when you were hitch hiking before you were famous. He claims that he picked you up near Oxford and dropped you off at your shop on Oxford Street (London), apparently you were in the process of setting up your first music shop. Do you remember this, or is he having me on?' Watch the video to find out if I do remember Sam's dad! You can ask me anything via the Ask Richard section here on virgin.com: Ask Richard …

Ask The Elders

Virgin Unite, the non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group, is offering everyone an incredible chance to submit a question to The Elders. The Elders will then select and respond on video to five questions. This wonderful group of global leaders was set up by Nelson Mandela to offer their collective influence and experience help tackle conflicts and promote peace building. I've had the great privilege to work closely with these remarkable men and women over the past few years. Most recently, …

'Ahoy' to Necker Belle!

I have to announce that I have a new lady in my life. But my lovely wife needn’t worry – it’s Necker Belle, a magnificent 32 metre catamaran. This is the latest addition to the Virgin Limited Edition collection.  After spending the last two years undergoing an extensive refit, following her former years as Lady Barbaretta, I was introduced to Necker Belle in her spectacular new form. I was thrilled to be able to jump onboard and see her in all her true glory. She really is…

Ask Richard #11

Kevin Spreekmeester asked me: 'How close is today's Virgin to what you initially dreamed it might be?' And my answer's in this video... You can ask me anything via the Ask Richard section here on virgin.com: Ask Richard Here are some earlier questions and answers: Ask Richard #1 Ask Richard #2 Ask Richard #3 Ask Richard #4 Ask Richard #5 Ask Richard #6 Ask Richard #7 Ask Richard #8 Ask Richard #9 Ask Richard #10 …

Fasting for Darfur

On the 21st of September I fasted along with hundreds of other people to try and raise awareness for the devastating plight of the people in Darfur.  One day is obviously nothing compared to the daily fight to survive for Darfuris, but we all must do whatever we can to try and shout about the issue and get governments and global communities to never forget about the atrocities that are continuing in Darfur. I’m looking forward to the time when there is no more need for an Internatio…

Celebrating Virgin Stars and Virgin Unite

It was our 6th annual Virgin Stars of the Year Dinner last Friday, where a chosen group of Virgin employees from around the world are recognised and thanked for all their hard work. I joined them all at the Kensington Roof Gardens in London to celebrate the night away in style.These staff members have been recognised as Virgin Stars through a combination of peer and management nominations for having ‘gone the extra mile’. It was a fantastic night and there were Stars from the UK, Ame…

We freed the festival - and the festival won

We did something pretty radical this summer in the US and so very Virgin: this year’s Virgin Mobile music festival in the US was free. There was no better way to reject everything that the recession had thrown at people than to throw a free festival, with ample sunshine, a late summer breeze, rolling hills, and a brilliant line-up headlined by Blink-182, Weezer, Franz Ferdinand, and Public Enemy. I wish all of you could have experienced it. Here are my highlights...We sent out about 35,000…

How to make an entrance

This is how to make an entrance! Red Bull skydivers jump out of a helicopter at 5000 feet and fly 60 mph to 35,000 fans at Virgin Mobile Freefest...…

Ask Richard #10

Erika Stimac asked me: 'How do you get the guts to go out of your comfort zone with biz interests? You seem really random yet effective!' Thanks for that last bit Erika! And the answer's in this video...  Here are some earlier questions and answers: Ask Richard #1 Ask Richard #2 Ask Richard #3 Ask Richard #4 Ask Richard #5 Ask Richard #6 Ask Richard #7 Ask Richard #8 Ask Richard #9 …

My thoughts and collected comments from The Elders' trip to Middle East

Jeff Skoll and I went for a walk to the Old City of Jerusalem through the Damascus Gate. There we had coffee in a Palestinian café. Over a discussion with the Palestinian owner they expressed their scepticism on the future. "Israel will never allow the Palestinians to have their own state. As a result they will ultimately destroy themselves". Hopefully for both the Palestinians and the Israelis and for all our sakes they will prove to be wrong. Jeff is Jewish and lost many relatives in t…

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