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Sir Richard Branson

Chairman of the Jury, PICNIC Green Challenge

Sir Richard Branson is the founder and chairman of the Virgin Group, which has created more than 200 branded companies worldwide, employing approximately 50,000 people, in 29 countries. Branson is also the Chairman of the PICNIC Green Challenge, and will attend PICNIC to contribute to the award ceremony.

Richard Branson was born in 1950. He founded Virgin as a mail-order record retailer in 1970. Virgin Music went on to become one of the world's top record companies. Today, the Virgin Group encompasses about 200 companies in more than 30 countries, in industries including air travel, mobile, financial, drinks and hotels.

Richard is a trustee of several charities, including the Virgin Healthcare Foundation, a leading charity which launched an AIDS education campaign in 1987. The Foundation is involved in the lobbying campaign Parents Against Tobacco, which aims to restrict tobacco advertising and sponsorship in sport.

And to keep his adrenaline up, he's been involved in a number of world-record-breaking attempts. In the 1980s, he made the fastest-ever boat crossing and the first hot-air-balloon crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. In 1991, he traversed the Pacific Ocean in a balloon, reaching speeds of up to 394 kph and breaking all records once more.

With his love of sky-high aspirations and amazing achievements, it makes sense that Richard's chosen to support the Green Challenge. “This contest is going to help people to realise how much they are capable of,” he says. “Great things really do come out of simple ideas.”

 
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