Richard's Blog - 2011

Should a bank be called a bank?

Has the word bank been so discredited that a new name needs to emerge? We want people’s views and advice on this. At the moment we’re inclined to call the company Virgin Money rather than Virgin Bank. Personally I’m quite keen on Virgin Rocks! We’d love to get people’s feedback and I will be officially naming the bank when we take over the keys in January. For some people who have banked loyally with Northern Rock for years they might actually want to keep bankin…

Who says sex doesn't sell?

Had a word with my book publishers, all of the books I have written with sexual connotations in the title have sold a storm. Losing My Virginity, Screw It Let's Do It and Business Stripped Bare all went down well. The only one that hasn't sold as well as the rest was Reach For The Skies, which I wanted to call Getting It Up. Anyway, we'll put that right with my new book - I've managed to get my way and call it Screw Business As Usual.    …

Rock The Kasbah: Virgin Rocks - literally!

Just back from LA where my mother Eve and I hosted Virgin Unite's fifth annual Rock The Kasbah, which celebrated the terrific work of Virgin Unite and The Eve Branson Foundation. The night got hot quickly thanks to our supportive friends, partners, the entertainment world and the incredibly talented DJ Chris Holmes, Pussycat Dolls (and their troop of sailors), OAR, and Mary J Blige. Mary's voice can move mountains. Thank you to everyone who made last night possible. Virgin Rocks - literally, w…

A better kind of bank

Think our deal will be great for the staff of Northern Rock and for the North East. We will create a better kind of bank that we and the public will be proud of. Our team won’t rest until they achieve that. I am very much looking forward to visiting all the staff in the New Year once we are handed the keys to let us in.…

Virgin Money and Northern Rock

Exciting news that we have agreed our deal with UKFI and the Government to buy Northern Rock and combine it with Virgin Money. I am so pleased for the whole team who have spent the last four years working hard to make this deal happen. After we complete we will have more than four million customers, a perfect platform to build a really competitive new player on the high street. We are ready to shake up the banking market with a fresh approach and some Virgin style. It desperately needs it.…

Virgin Rocks

Virgin Rocks...

Social Marathon to Rock The Kasbah

Busy but brilliant couple of days from the launch of Screw Business As Usual to the first ever OceanElders meeting, from the Virgin Social Marathon to Rock The Kasbah. It has been fantastic hearing about your First Times with Virgin for the Social Marathon. You have brought back some wonderful memories. We’ve loved getting the whole Virgin Group working together and involving so many people around the world too. Thanks to Facebook too for hosting the Social Marathon globally. Now we're…

Top 12 OceanElders responses

Once again thanks for all your feedback on what the OceanElders should consider. Here are your top twelve responses which I’ll bring up at the meeting.  12. Stop waste (especially plastics) being dumped into the oceans   11. Stop over fishing and increase a focus on fish farms 10. Stop shark finning - get shark fin soup banned 9. Increase education and awareness of the importance of our oceans (especially for young people) 8. Stop ocean bottom trawling 7. Set up a global bo…

Dropping the word screw

Amusing morning on breakfast TV discussing Screw Business As Usual. The interviewer told me that I could only use the word screw once during the programme which I obediently did. He then summed up the book by dropping the word screw and renaming it Business As Usual!

Do you remember the first time?

Do you remember the first time? I certainly remember mine. The Virgin Social Marathon is go, looking at Virgin's very first time in business right up to the present day. Relive your First Times on Facebook.…

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