The Virgin Group Founder: Richard Branson Net Worth

Richard Branson Net Worth
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Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, is one of the most successful businessmen with a current net worth of $5 billion. The Virgin Group controls more than 400 companies. Apart from business ventures, Branson has also guest appeared on numerous TV shows and film. He has even authored various books and enjoys royalties in millions.

Early Life

Richard Charles Nicholas Branson was born in Blackheath, London.  He briefly attended Scaitcliffe School in Surrey and Cliff View House School in Sussex. He then attended Stowe School in Buckinghamshire. He received an honorary degree from Kaunas Technology University.

Branson married Kristen Tomassi in 1972, and the couple separated within five years of marriage. He later married Joan Templeman in 1989.

Career

Business

Branson wanted to be an entrepreneur from a very young age. He started a magazine “Student” when he was just 16, which became a commercial success. With the profits of his Magazine, he set up a mail-order business in 1970. He opened a chain of record stores, “Virgin Records” in 1972.

The Virgin brand proliferated after he set up Virgin Atlantic airline and expanded the Virgin Records music label. Various other ventures also got launched under the brand name including Virgin Games, Virgin Vision, Virgin Holidays, Virgin Classics, Virgin Trains, Virgin Cosmetics, Virgin Mobiles and Virgin Galactic. Recently, Virgin invested in “Hyperloop One”.

Books

Branson has authored numerous books like Losing My Virginity: How I’ve Survived, Had Fun and made a Fortune Doing Business My Way, Screw It, Let’s Do it, Screw Business as usual, Like a Virgin: Secrets They Won’t Teach You at Business School, The Virgin Way: How To Listen, Learn, Laugh and Lead, and Finding My Virginity.

Television

Branson has guest starred in various TV shows like Friends, Baywatch, Only Fools and Horses, The Day Today, Goodness Gracious Me, Live and Kicking and The Rebel Billionaire: Branson’s Quest for the Best.

He also has made a cameo appearance in movies like Around the World in 80 days, Superman Returns and Casino Royale.

Branson has garnered numerous honours and awards including Tony Jannus Award and International Crisis Group Chairman Award. BBC ranked him #85 on the 2002 list of 100 Greatest Britons. In 2014, Branson was recognised as the most admired business person over the five decades by The Sunday Times. In 2015, Branson was listed by UK-based Company Richtopia at #1 in the list of 100 Most Influential British Entrepreneurs.

Richard Branson Net Worth

The net worth of the business tycoon is a whopping $5 billion. He has invested in numerous properties and lives his life king-size.

Properties

The billionaire has invested in numerous luxurious properties. He owns a Roof Garden above Kensington High Street which includes themed gardens, lush full-size trees, fountains, exotic birds and a clubhouse. He owns a houseboat in Little Venice and has let out for 900 pounds a week.

Private Islands

He owns a 74-acre world famous private island “Necker Island”, where he currently lives. He bought a 120-acre island “Moskito Island” located in the British Virgin Islands in 2007. He owns “Makepeace Island”, a 25-acre island located at Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Australia.

Hotels and Lodges

He owns the Kenyan Safari camp “Mahali Mzuri” which offers twelve tented sleeper suites with attached bathroom areas. He owns “Kasbah Tamadot”, a 28 bedroom luxurious hotel which is nestled in the foothills of Morocco’s Atlas Mountains. He also owns a luxurious lodge, “The Lodge” in the Swiss Alps. He has a 26 bedroom hotel “Mount Rochelle” in the town of Franschhoek in South Africa. His “Ulusaba”, which provides luxurious accommodation, is located in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. He owns an estate “Son Bunyola” on the north-west coast of the Spanish island of Mallorca.

Auto Collection

Branson owns the Necker Nymph, an underwater plane-sub as well as the Necker Belle, a luxury catamaran. He also has a Private Jet Falcon 900EX and a private aircraft VSS.

His exquisite car collection includes Range Rower, Morris Mini-Minor, Saab 9-5 BioPower, Humber Super Snipe, Gibbs Aquada(An amphibious car which he uses to zip across the English Channel)

Philanthropy

Branson started his first charity “Student Valley Centre” when he was just 17.

In 1999, Branson became a founding sponsor of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children.

In 2009, Branson founded The Carbon War Room to seek solutions for global warming and energy crisis.

He set up Branson School of Entrepreneurship in South Africa to support start-ups and micro-enterprises with skills, mentors, services, networks and finance arrangements.

He is a signatory of Global Zero campaign to eliminate all nuclear weapons worldwide.

Branson also served on the Global Commission on Drug Policy.

He supports over 35 charity organizations for various causes including Aegis Trust, Cancer Research UK, Children with AIDS, Free the Children, Greenpeace, The Elders, Heavens Angels, Kids Company, Make a Child Smile Appeal, Peace One Day, ROTA, Save the Elephants, Stand Up To Cancer, Swan Lifeline, Whatever it Takes and WildAid.

Conclusion

Richard Branson always wished to be an entrepreneur. He belongs to one of the few people who dreamt big and achieved big. The billionaire, who began his career from the magazine is today one of the wealthiest businessmen in the U.K. He has widened his braches all around the world and donates a considerable share of his profits for making this world a better place.

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Jeevitha is a to-be Chartered Accountant by chance and a writer by choice. She has been passionate about reading books and writing, since forever.