There are few if any entrepreneurs who have ventured more successfully in more businesses than Richard Branson. And who can compete with him in terms of flair?
As important, he has long brought this entrepreneurial energy and skill to bear on social problems as well as business. Inspired by Nelson Mandela, he helped launch The Elders, an independent group of top global leaders tackling key world problems. In 2009, frustrated by inaction on climate change, he set up the Carbon War Room to cut global emissions by scaling market-based, entrepreneurial solutions. In 2013, Richard and Jochen Zeitz established the B Team, a platform pressing for new ways of doing business that benefit people and the planet.