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Richard Branson 10 Personal Facts, Biography, Wiki
English business magnate
Born: July 18, 1950 (age 70 years), Blackheath, London, United Kingdom
Spouse: Joan Templeman (m. 1989), Kristen Tomassi (m. 1972–1979)
Children: Holly Branson, Sam Branson, Clare Sarah Branson
Birthday: July 18, 1950
Age: 70 Years, 70 Year Old Males
Sun Sign: Cancer
Also Known As: Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson
Born In: Blackheath London
Famous As: Entrepreneur
Quotes By Richard Branson Poorly Educated
Height: 5’10” (178 cm), 5’10” Males
Spouse/Ex-: Joan Templeman (M. 1989), Kristen Tomassi (M. 1972–1979)
Father: Edward James Branson
Mother: Eve Huntley Flindt
Children: Clare Sarah Branson, Holly Branson, Sam Branson
Personality: ESFP
City: London, England
Diseases & Disabilities: Dyslexia
Founder/Co-Founder: Virgin Group
Education: Stowe School
Richard Branson 10 Pics, Photos, Pictures
Richard Branson 10 Fast Facts, Biography, Wiki
Branson married Kristen Tomassi in 1972 and divorced her in 1979.
He has a daughter Holly (b. 1981) and a son Sam (b. 1985) with his second wife, Joan Templeman, whom he met in 1976.
They were married in 1989 on Necker Island.
He stated in an interview with Piers Morgan that he and Joan also had a daughter named Clare Sarah, who died when she was four days old in 1979.
In 2007 Branson was ordained as a minister by the Universal Life Church Monastery to conduct an on-flight wedding as part of a marketing effort for domestic flights in the USA on Virgin America airline.
From 2013 to 2017 Branson served as President of the Old Stoic Society of Stowe School.
Branson is also an experienced kitesurfer, holding some world records in the sport.
In August 2016 Branson was injured while riding his bicycle in the British Virgin Islands and suffered torn ligaments and a cracked cheek as a result.
He was taken to hospital in Miami for X-rays and scans.
In 2017 Branson’s Necker Island home was left uninhabitable after Hurricane Irma.
It was the second time the Necker Island home had been severely damaged after the building caught fire when it was struck by lightning caused by Hurricane Irene in 2011.
Branson’s mother Eve died from COVID-19 complications in January 2021 at the age of 96.
A celebration of her life was posted online by her son.
Richard Branson (1950) is an English entrepreneur and investor.
He is the founder and owner of the Virgin group.
Richard Branson always says that ‘fun’ is the driver under his entrepreneurship.
Fun and provocation is what Richard Branson is a master of. Here are some examples:
He has his own island (Necker island) where he receives super stars.
He is said to have paid only $ 180,000 for the island.
Richard Branson married Kristen Tomassi in 1972 and divorced her in 1979.
He married Joan Templeman in 1989 on Necker Island, one of the islands from British Virgin Islands, which he owns.
He also owns land in Barbuda and Antigua. He has a son and a daughter.
He is an avid supporter of the football team, the Oxford United.
He supports many humanitarian causes and in May 2008, he travelled to the Massai Mara to open a new school.
He has also volunteered to fund charity fund raisers and has even contributed to the Global Commission on Drug Policy.
This business tycoon has expressed dreams of opening a casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This famous personality likes to keep a hammock in his office, on which he likes to brainstorm his ideas.
He owns a $30 million yacht called ‘Necker Belle’ and a 3-seater submarine called ‘Necker Nymph’.
This great business mogul is dyslexic.
1966 – After failed attempts to grow and sell both Christmas trees and budgerigars, Branson launches his first successful business, a magazine named Student, the first issue of which appearing in January 1968. Branson’s net worth was estimated at £50,000 by 1969.
1970 – Starts selling records by mail-order
1971 – Opens his first record shop on Oxford Street
1972 – Opens a Virgin Recording Studio
1973 – Launches Virgin Records record label
1979 – Buys the gay nightclub Heaven, located under Charing Cross railway station. It was sold in 2003 to a private buyer. Branson’s net worth was estimated at £5 million by 1979.
1980 – Virgin Records goes international
1981 – Virgin buys the Kensington Roof Gardens
1983 – Virgin Vision, later to become Virgin Communications, is formed to distribute films and videos in the television and broadcasting sector.
1983 – Virgin Games is launched.
1984 – Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Cargo are launched.
1984 – Virgin Vision (launched the previous year) launches “Music Box”, a 24-hour satellite music station.
1985 – Virgin Group now includes record labels, retail outlets, exported music publishing, broadcasting, satellite television, and film and video distribution.
1985 – Branson starts Virgin Holidays
1987 – Branson takes Virgin Records to the United States
1987 – The Virgin Group, along with Granada, Anglia and Pearson, founds British Satellite Broadcasting and receives a UK licence to broadcast five new TV channels by satellite in the UK.
1987 – Virgin sets up 525, a post production facility in Los Angeles, to work on high-end commercials and pop videos.
1987 – Virgin sets up “Music Box” as an independent producer of music programmes.
1987 – Virgin buys a 45% stake in Mastertronic Group. Later Virgin Mastertronic becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Virgin Group, creating, marketing and distributing computer games software and Sega consoles in several European countries.
1987 – Virgin buys Rushes Postproduction in London.
1987 – Virgin launches Virgin Airship & Balloon Company.
1987 – Richard Branson launched Mates condoms in the UK to promote condoms to young adults
1988 – Virgin re-opens the recently acquired and re-modeled Olympic Studios in Barnes, London.
1988 – Virgin launches Virgin Classics, another Virgin international record label specializing in high-quality classical music.
1988 – Virgin sells some of its smaller UK retail stores and puts more money into Virgin Megastores, opening new stores both in the UK and abroad.
1988 – Virgin sets up Virgin Broadcasting.
1988 – Virgin sells its shareholding in British Satellite Broadcasting.
1990 – Virgin arrives in Japan
1991 – Virgin Publishing (Virgin Books) is formed
1992 – Virgin Records is sold to Thorn EMI
1993 – Virgin Vision is bought by PolyGram for $5.6 million
1993 – Virgin Radio hits the airwaves with Virgin 1215AM
1994 – Launch of Virgin Vodka and Virgin Cola
1995 – Discretely invests in AirTicketsDirect
1995 – Virgin Direct Personal Financial Services opens for business
1995 – Virgin Express a European low cost Airline is launched in Brussels after the purchase and rebranding of EBA Express
1996 – V2 Music is created
1996 – Virgin.Net launches
1996 – Virgin Brides launches
1996 – Virgin Group becomes majority shareholders in London Broncos rugby league team
1997 – Virgin CrossCountry and Virgin Trains West Coast commence operations
1997 – Majority shareholding in Virgin Radio is sold to Chris Evans
1997 – Virgin Cosmetics launches
1998 – 49% stake in Virgin Rail Group sold to Stagecoach Group
1999 – Virgin Mobile launches Virgin’s first telecoms venture
1999 – Virgin Active Launches in South Africa, UK and Italy
1999 – Majority shareholding in London Broncos is sold to David Hughes
1999 – 49% shareholding in Virgin Atlantic sold to Singapore Airlines
2000 – Virgin launches Australian airline Virgin Blue (now called Virgin Australia)
2000 – Virgin sells Rushes Postproduction to Ascent Media – then Liberty Livewire
2000 – Virgin launches Virgin Energy
2000 – Virgin launches Virgin Cars
2002 – Virgin Interactive Espania SA splits from Virgin Interactive and re-brands as Virgin Play
2004 – Virgin launches Virgin Galactic
2005 – Virgin Express merges with Sn Brussels Airlines to form Brussels Airlines. Virgin retains minority share.
2005 – Virgin Active UK acquires Holmes Place
2006 – Virgin announces Virgin Fuel, a new company to produce a clean fuel in the future
2006 – Virgin Active Spain is Launched
2007 – Virgin Active Portugal is Launched
2007 – Virgin launches Virgin Health Bank
2007 – Virgin launches Virgin Media
2007 – Virgin launches Virgin America
2007 – Virgin buys 20% stakes in AirAsia X
2007 – Sells Virgin Megastore in the UK and Ireland to Zavvi
2007 – Virgin Media Television Launches Virgin 1
2007 – Closes Virgin Digital in the UK (Virgin now sells music downloads through Virgin Media’s website)
2007 – Virgin Fuel US$400 million in Virgin Atlantic jet flight on biofuels and in renewable energy.
2007 – Virgin Money becomes preferred bidder for acquisition of Northern Rock (and is eventually successful).
2007 – Virgin Radio Italia launches in Italy in joint venture with Finelco.
2007 – Virgin CrossCountry ceases after franchise lost to Arriva CrossCountry
2008 – Virgin Australia Airlines offers competitive prices between Australia and Los Angeles. Known as V Australia due to naming
rights.
2008 – Virgin launches Virgin Healthcare
2009 – Virgin launches Virgin Money Giving
2010 – Virgin launches Virgin Racing, a Formula One team previously known as Manor Grand Prix
2010 – Virgin launches Virgin Gaming, a service for people of all skill levels to play competitively on popular Video Games.
2010 – Virgin launches Virgin Produced, a film and television development, packaging and production company based in Los Angeles, California.
2010 – Virgin launches Project, a digital magazine created exclusively for Apple Inc’s iPad.
2010 – Virgin Money buys Church House Trust
2012 – Virgin Money buys Northern Rock
2012 – Virgin Galactic announces the development of orbital space launch system LauncherOne.
2013 – Virgin Media sold to Liberty Global
2015 – Virgin Trains East Coast commences operating the InterCity East Coast franchise, Virgin Group hold a 10% shareholding
2016 – Virgin launches Virgin Voyages; Virgin Radio Jakarta launches in May 2016, replacing Ninety Niners FM. The station was owned by
MPG Media
2017 – Virgin invested in Hyperloop One; Branson joined its board of directors, and in December 2017 became its chairman.
2018 – Virgin invests in Brightline trains in Florida, USA. The system is renamed to Virgin Trains USA.
2018 – Virgin Trains East Coast ceases trading
2019 – Virgin purchases Flybe through the consortium Connect Airways, Flybe is subsequently renamed Virgin Connect.
2019 – Virgin Trains West Coast ceases after InterCity West Coast franchise lost to Avanti West Coast
