Richard Branson
British business magnate
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| October 2024 | Branson sold Virgin Money UK to Nationwide Building Society, earning £724 million (£414 million from his 14.5% shareholding and £310 million for brand usage rights). |
| September 2023 | Declared decision against further funding Virgin Galactic due to financial constraints. |
| April 10 2023 | Became an ambassador for the United24 fundraising platform, with Virgin Unite announcing a program to evacuate children with cancer to leading clinics. |
| October 2022 | Branson was invited by Singapore's government to participate in a live television debate about drugs and the death penalty, which he declined. |
| July 11 2021 | Traveled as a passenger on Virgin Galactic Unity 22 test flight to the edge of space, becoming the third oldest person to fly to space at age 70. |
| January 2021 | Branson's mother Eve died from COVID-19 complications at the age of 96. |
| December 1 2020 | Launched The Patti Grace Smith Fellowship through Virgin Orbit to offer paid work experience and mentorship in aerospace for Black students. |
| May 5 2020 | Virgin Atlantic announced significant restructuring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including laying off 3000 staff, reducing fleet size to 35 by summer 2022, and retiring Boeing 747-400s while discontinuing operations from Gatwick. |
| March 2020 | During the COVID-19 pandemic, Branson and Virgin faced criticism for asking staff to take eight weeks' unpaid leave. He put his luxury Necker Island up as collateral for a commercial loan to save Virgin Atlantic from potential bankruptcy. |
| February 2019 | Branson helped organize the Venezuela Aid Live benefit concert to bring attention to the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. |
| October 16 2018 | Branson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame under the recording category for co-founding Virgin Records, located at 6764 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. |
| September 2018 | Branson completed his fourth Virgin Strive Challenge, traveling over 2,000 km from Sardinia to Mont Blanc to raise funds for the Big Change charity. |
| April 2018 | Branson announced the acquisition of the Hard Rock Casino-Hotel in Las Vegas to be rebranded as Virgin Hotels. |
| February 2018 | Branson announced the first Virgin hotel in the UK would open in Edinburgh. |
| 2017 | Virgin Group invested in Hyperloop One, with Branson joining the board of directors and becoming chairman in December. |
| 2017 | Necker Island home was left uninhabitable after Hurricane Irma. |
| November 2017 | Allegations of sexual assault by singer Antonia Jenae were made public, which Branson's spokesperson denied with no recollection of the incident. |
| October 2017 | Branson appeared as a guest investor on Shark Tank's Season 9 Premiere, investing in Locker Board. |
| September 2016 | Branson, along with Louise Arbour and Fernando Henrique Cardoso, wrote a letter to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte criticizing the drug war and calling for an end to extrajudicial killings. |
| August 2016 | Suffered a bicycle injury in the British Virgin Islands, resulting in torn ligaments and a cracked cheek. |
| June 28 2016 | In an ITV Good Morning Britain interview, Branson highlighted the negative economic impact of Brexit, stating his company lost a third of its value and a major venture was shelved. |
| 2015 | The Foodpreneur competition expanded to the Virgin StartUp's Foodpreneur Festival. |
| October 2015 | Branson received the International Crisis Group Chairman's Award at the United Nations Development Programme's Pursuit of Peace Awards Dinner. |
| October 29 2015 | Richtopia listed Branson as the No. 1 Most Influential British Entrepreneur. |
| March 2015 | Branson advocated for decriminalizing almost all drug use in the UK, citing Portugal as an example. |
| 2014 | Joined the African Wildlife Foundation and WildAid for the 'Say No' Campaign to raise awareness about wildlife poaching and trafficking. |
| 2014 | Broke the Guinness World Record for most people riding a surfboard by kitesurfing with three women, including professional kiteboarder Susi Mai and entrepreneur Alison Di Spaltro. |
| 2014 | Branson launched the 'Foodpreneur' start-up competition for food and drink businesses. |
| October 9 2014 | Branson was named the No. 1 LGBT ally by the OUTstanding organisation. |
| September 21 2014 | The Sunday Times recognized Branson as the most admired business person over the last five decades. |
| May 15 2014 | Branson received the Business for Peace Award, annually awarded by the Business for Peace Foundation in Oslo, Norway. |
| 2013 | Began serving as President of the Old Stoic Society of Stowe School. |
| 2013 | Branson described himself as a 'tax exile', having moved his residency to the British Virgin Islands to save millions in taxes. |
| 2013 | Co-founded the B Team, a global nonprofit organization committed to driving positive change and promoting sustainable business practices. |
| December 2013 | Urged companies to boycott Uganda due to its anti-homosexuality bill, advocating for freedom to love. |
| June 2 2013 | Branson received an honorary degree of Doctor Honoris Causa from Kaunas Technology University in Lithuania. |
| May 12 2013 | Branson fulfilled his lost bet by serving as a stewardess on an Air Asia flight between Perth and Kuala Lumpur. |
| October 30 2012 | Recited Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If—' at the Pride of Britain Awards, alongside Michael Caine, Elton John, Simon Cowell, and Stephen Fry, in tribute to British Olympic and Paralympics athletes. |
| July 2012 | Branson announced plans to build an orbital space launch system called LauncherOne. |
| February 11 2012 | Branson was honoured with the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' President's Merit Award for his contributions to the music industry. |
| 2011 | Branson gave an interview to CNN's Piers Morgan, publicly discussing his atheist beliefs and stating he would 'love to believe' in God, while affirming his belief in evolution and humanitarian efforts. |
| 2011 | Branson's Necker Island home was severely damaged when it was struck by lightning during Hurricane Irene. |
| 2011 | Served on the Global Commission on Drug Policy to work towards more humane and rational drug laws. |
| November 14 2011 | Branson was awarded the ISTA Prize by the International Space Transport Association in The Hague for his pioneering achievements in developing suborbital transport systems with Virgin Galactic. |
| August 17 2011 | Featured in the premiere episode of Hulu's first long-form original production, 'A Day in the Life'. |
| April 2011 | Appeared on CNN's Mainsail with Kate Winslet, re-enacting a famous scene from the 1997 film Titanic. |
| January 24 2011 | Branson was awarded the German Media Prize, previously given to former US president Bill Clinton and the Dalai Lama. |
| 2010 | Co-founded Enterprise Zimbabwe with the Nduna Foundation and Humanity United. |
| 2010 | Branson became patron of the UK's Gordon Bennett gas balloon race. |
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