Sir Richard Branson

Career: ed Student magazine 1968-69; fndr: Student Advsy Centre (now Help) 1970, Virgin Mail-Order Co 1969, Virgin Retail 1970, Virgin Records 1973, Virgin Atlantic Airways 1984, Voyager Group Ltd 1986; chm and chief exec: Virgin Management, Virgin Retail Group, Virgin Communications, Virgin Holdings, Virgin Radio 1993-97, Virgin Direct 1995-, V2 Music 1996-, Virgin Rail 1996-; life pres Virgin Music 1992-; tstee: Healthcare Fndn (fndr 1987), Charity Projects; patron: Nat Holiday Fund, Paul O'Gorman Fndn, Trevor Jones Tst, London Sch for Performing Arts & Technol; pres Br Disabled Water Ski Assoc, hon vice-pres Operation Raleigh, hon memb Ctee The Friends of the Earth; capt Atlantic Challenger II, winner Blue Riband for fastest crossing of the Atlantic by boat 1986, world record crossings of Atlantic and Pacific by hot air balloon with Per Lindstrand 1987 and 1991; Excellent Hon Prof of Economics Miyazaki Sangyo Keiei Univ Japan, Key to the City of NY, hon Japanese citizen (City of Miyakanojo); Hon DTech Loughborough 1993