Which billionaire founded the Virgin Group and appeared on Forbes’ 2022 billionaire list?

Richard Branson founded the Virgin Group and appeared on Forbes’ 2022 billionaire list.

Richard Branson built the Virgin Group from a student magazine and mail-order record business into a brand associated with music, airlines, telecommunications and space ventures. Forbes included him among the world’s billionaires in 2022, estimating his wealth from his business holdings and other assets.

Virgin Records, launched in 1972, was one of Branson’s earliest major successes. Virgin Atlantic followed in 1984, expanding the brand into commercial aviation. Later ventures included Virgin Galactic, a spaceflight company in which Branson became a prominent public figure.

Michael Bloomberg, Phil Knight and Ralph Lauren are also billionaire founders or business leaders, but they built different companies. Branson’s wealth is especially difficult to tie to one listed corporation because the Virgin brand spans many privately held and separately structured businesses.