Sir Richard Branson founded The Virgin Group in the 1970’s, and is one of the best known business men to come out of the UK. He is a leader in his field, and a household name across the world.

Branson grew up in the South of England, and was always a keen entrepreneur from a young age. His attempts to sell Christmas trees and budgies fell flat, but his magazine Student which he launched in 1968 became a huge success. Marketed as an alternative to the serious school publications of the day, Student was more lighthearted, and ran interviews with people such as Mick Jagger and RD Laing. He began selling records via the magazine, and went on to found Virgin Records in 1972. Branson signed some of the biggest artists of the day, including the Rolling Stones and UB40. In the early 80’s, Branson ventured into the airline and cargo industries, and began to grow the Virgin empire. He sold his record company in 1992, and the following year decided to enter the railway business. Virgin Trains began winning railway line contracts across the UK and developing new, more efficient trains. He has since pledged to use the profits from Virgin Trains and Virgin Atlantic to research environmentally friendly fuels.

Not content with just records, airlines and railways, Branson launched Virgin Mobile in 1999, which later became Virgin Media. He has since launched various other companies, including Virgin Healthcare and Virgin Hotels. He has also appeared as a guest investor on Shark Tank, and in 2000 was knighted for his contributions to entrepreneurship.