Virgin Trains manager jumps ship to First Group for west coast main line railway takeover November 26, 2019 First Group has poached the boss of Virgin Trains just in time to take over the west coast main line rail franchise in 12 days’ time. Phil Whittingham, who has been at Virgin since it took control of the country’s most lucrative rail network in 1998, will keep running the line, which connects London to [...]
Sir Richard Branson to make a third bid for the National Lottery November 24, 2019 Sir Richard Branson will make a third attempt to wrest control of the National Lottery from incumbent Camelot, almost twenty years on from the last of his past efforts. The decision to enter the running to displace the Canadian company as the lottery operator reignites a rivalry that in the past led to a High [...]
Top tips for negotiations from Sir Richard Branson November 8, 2019 Israel is famous for its savvy negotiators. So to launch the new Virgin Atlantic route from London to Tel Aviv, I went head-to-head with its residents to put my skills to the test — and I had to bring my A-game. It was no easy feat. The people of Tel Aviv know how to drive [...]
Virgin Galactic shares blast off as Sir Richard Branson’s firm makes New York Stock Exchange debut October 28, 2019 Sir Richard Branson’s space tourism venture, Virgin Galactic, has taken off on the New York Stock Exchange this afternoon, with shares soaring more than eight per cent in early trading. The company completed a merger with a US investment vehicle late on Friday, making it the first commercial space venture to go public. Branson, who [...]
Virgin Galactic brings space tourism to public markets as New York float beckons October 27, 2019 Investors will get their first chance to buy into a space tourism firm tomorrow, when shares in Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic start trading in New York. The company tied the knot on a merger with a US investment vehicle late on Friday, meaning it will go public when markets open tomorrow, in what its [...]
‘Don’t piss people off’: Sir Richard Branson’s advice for Extinction Rebellion is short and sweet October 24, 2019 When Extinction Rebellion hit the headlines this time last year, its leaders can hardly have imagined the movement would gain support from one of the best-known names in global aviation. Indeed, jet fuel is responsible for about 2.5 per cent of global CO2 emissions, and could even guzzle as much as half of the UK’s [...]
Sir Richard Branson set to launch Virgin Galactic float on Monday October 24, 2019 Sir Richard Branson has announced that he is planning to float his space venture Virgin Galactic on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday. Branson said he hoped to be there to ring the bell himself as his space flight company becomes the first to go public next week. Read more: Boeing invests $20m in [...]
Space race: Boeing invests $20m in Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic as it prepares public listing October 8, 2019 Boeing is to invest $20m in Sir Richard Branson’s space-tourism venture Virgin Galactic, meaning it will have more money to take on rivals such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos in the commercial space race. Branson founded space venture Virgin Galactic in a bid to cash in on rising demand for space travel. He is [...]
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic faces first investor vote of confidence on stock market listing September 8, 2019 Sir Richard Branson’s space tourism venture Virgin Galactic faces its first test of investor confidence in a proposed stock market float tomorrow. Would-be shareholders will vote on whether to back the entry via investment vehicle Social Capital Hedosophia (SCH), or whether to withdraw their cash entirely. Read more: Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic plots public listing [...]
Richard Branson: Sterling could hit dollar parity in no-deal Brexit July 11, 2019 A no-deal Brexit could cause sterling to crash until it hits parity with the dollar, according to Virgin entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson. Read more: Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit to test satellite launch rocket Branson warned this would be “devastating” for Virgin brands, which cover rail, air travel, financial services and media, and could lead the [...]