Richard Branson’s story

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.

Richard Branson founded Virgin, one of the world’s most admired brands, in 1970. Since then, it 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, which became the world’s biggest independent record label. There are now more than 40 Virgin companies worldwide in over 35 countries.

Image by Virgin.com

Since starting Student magazine in his teens, Richard has found entrepreneurial ways to provoke positive change in the world for over 50 years. In 2004, Richard established the non-profit entrepreneurial foundation Virgin Unite to challenge unacceptable issues, create opportunities for a better world, and promote business as a force for good.

Richard became an astronaut in 2021, flying on board VSS Unity as part of the first fully crewed Virgin Galactic mission, Unity 22.

Virgin Galactic

In 2024 Richard released his first complete audiobook, Losing and Finding My Virginity, which combines his two bestselling memoirs into one audiobook – read aloud by Richard himself. Richard maintains a regular blog, and has more than 41 million followers across his social networks.

Richard was awarded a knighthood in 1999 for services to entrepreneurship. He lives in the British Virgin Islands, and was married to his partner of 50 years, Joan Branson, before she passed away in 2025. He has two children, Holly and Sam, and is a proud grand-dude to five grandchildren – Etta, Artie, Lola, Eva-Deia, and Bluey.

Richard is available for a select number of speaking engagements per year around the world. All funds raised from Richard's speaking engagements go to Virgin Unite - the entrepreneurial foundation of the Virgin Group - and advocacy causes striving to make business a force for good.