Richard Branson, the adventurous CEO of Virgin Group, co-founded a small record label without the slightest hint of experience in running a business. Many years later, Branson finds himself managing over 300 businesses internationally. While Branson is known for his daredevil investment strategies and numerous publicity stunts, when did he begin to make the move towards corporate responsibility?

It was 2003. For business owners, it is rational to seize opportunities when the time is right. When oil prices were plummeting, Richard Branson was weighing the pros and cons of building his own oil refinery. In an unexpected turn of events, he was discouraged from making such an investment, and was introduced to the reality of global warming. Since then, Virgin redefined its business models. He soon pledged to devote 3 billion from the profits of its airlines and travel businesses towards developing clean energy sources.

As Branson did not intend to only meet the bottom line when fighting global warming, his dedication to making meaningful social impact strengthened in 2013 with his collaboration with Whole World Water, an organization that raises awareness for global access to clean water. Soon after in 2015, alongside activists and scientific experts, Branson attended the United Nations COP21 climate conference in Paris, and lobbied for collective action to reduce global environmental impacts.

Nobody thought that one person can change the world, not even Branson himself. These days, he believes that “doing good is good for business”. Considering that access to clean water and air pollution are immediate concerns here in Hong Kong, what are some contributions that you can make today?

(Photo & Article: The Telegraph / CreatorMag.HK.)