Britain needs a new Richard Branson Opinion Richard Branson continues to be the best champion the UK has as a place to do business despite founding his first business decades ago. Branson is a global success, but he should have a successor by now, says Philip Salter A few months after England lifted the 1966 World Cup, Sir Richard Branson started working [...]
Virgin Money swallowed up by Nationwide as top boss exits Banking The boss of Virgin Money is set to depart the firm later this years as the UK bank fully consolidates into the Nationwide umbrella. Chris Rhodes took the reins at Virgin Money following its acquisition by Nationwide in late 2024. Before this post, Rhodes served as finance boss at the UK’s largest building society for [...]
Mandelson told Epstein he was ‘trying hard’ to change bank bonus rules Politics Peter Mandelson told Jeffrey Epstein he was “trying hard” to change government policy on bankers’ bonuses at his request, months after Epstein had paid thousands of pounds to the then UK business secretary’s husband and the 2008 financial crash. Emails released by the Department of Justice on Friday showed new details of the closeness of [...]
Virgin Atlantic CEO in the departure lounge as successor named October 13, 2025 The chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, which was founded by Sir Richard Branson, is to step down as his successor was named. Shai Weiss is to leave his position at Virgin Atlantic after seven years at the end of 2025. He will be succeeded by Corneel Koster. Koster re-joined Virgin Atlantic in 2019 as a [...]
Branson-backed Virgin Active slashes losses amid WFH battle October 7, 2025 Virgin Active, the gym chain founded by Sir Richard Branson, has significantly slashed its losses as its battle with the work-from-home trend continues. The business, which runs 224 international locations, has reported a pre-ax loss of £78.1m for 2024, down significantly from the £146.7m it lost in 2023. New accounts filed with Companies House also [...]
Sir Richard Branson-backed Gridserve cuts jobs as it loses over £80m July 21, 2025 Gridserve, the electric vehicle (EV) charging network whose investors include a fund backed by Sir Richard Branson, cut jobs as it lost more than £80m in 2024, it has been revealed. The Swindon-headquartered business has reported a pre-tax loss of £82.7m for its latest financial year, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. Gridserve [...]
Eurostar ramps up plans to double capacity at London St Pancras July 3, 2025 Eurostar has outlined proposals to double capacity at London St Pancras as it looks to tap growing demand for international rail travel. The cross-channel operator has penned a preliminary deal with London St Pancras Highspeed, formerly HS1, aimed at future proofing the popular hub against overcrowding. A three-part plan includes improving the international area of [...]
Regulator blocks Richard Branson’s bid to bring back Virgin trains July 3, 2025 Richard Branson’s bid to bring Virgin trains back to the UK has suffered a crushing setback following a ruling from the rail regulator. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on Thursday said it had rejected applications from Virgin Management and two other companies for track access rights to run services on the West Coast [...]
Room for ‘at most’ one more Eurostar rival, says regulator June 5, 2025 There is space for “at most” one more rail operator at Eurostar’s key east London train depot, the UK’s railways watchdog has said. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has been assessing capacity at Temple Mills International depot after Eurostar claimed it was “basically full.” It said on Thursday there was room for “at [...]
Uber unveils tie-up with Eurostar challenger May 21, 2025 Uber is planning a partnership deal with one of the firms seeking to oust Eurostar as the sole operator of the Channel Tunnel. Gemini Trains, spearheaded by the Labour peer Lord Berkeley, is one of several competitors looking to break Eurostar’s 30-year monopoly on cross-channel services. Passengers will be able to book tickets via the [...]