until you can afford to make sizable donations to start changing the world. Young entrepreneurs today are building busi- nesses that equally prioritize people, planet, and profits. I have great admiration for companies that have figured out how important this is, and Virgin Unite (our charity organization) and I are working with successful leaders like Jochen Zeitz (former Puma chairman) on [a nonprofit group called] The B Team to share ways for companies of all sizes to conduct business responsibly so that there will continue to be a world to do business in. Most of my time is now spent on philanthropic

efforts — and it has been encouraging to see that customers care about [the fact] that Virgin uses business as a force for good.

What do meeting professionals need to do in order to become “bootstrapped innovators” and “solu- tion finders” — two of your business terms? Think small, act big. Every individual counts — and we try to create environments where the world is small enough that we notice when something is going wrong and needs improving. At Virgin, we start companies that are small

and stay entrepreneurial and nimble so that we can respond to customers and guests with quick

PCMA.ORG

Supersonic Branson congratu- lates pilot Mark Stucky after the completion of the first rocket-powered flight of Virgin Galac- tic’s SpaceShip Two in Mojave, Calif., in April 2013.

Flying United Here are the major initiatives under the umbrella of Virgin Unite — Virgin Group’s not-for-profit foundation.

› The Elders (theelders.org) — Formed in 2007 by Nelson Mandela, The Elders is an independent group of global leaders — among them, President Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu — who work together for peace and human rights.

› Carbon War Room (carbonwarroom.com) — Its vision is to mobilize capital, innovation, expertise, and international collaboration to build new business mod- els to tackle carbon emissions and deliver profit — based on Branson’s view that climate change is the single big- gest challenge and greatest threat to our planet today.

› The Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship (bransoncentre.org) — Focused on budding young entrepreneurs, the Branson Centre offers training pro- grams, mentoring, access to resources, and ongoing support to help them launch and grow their businesses.

› The B Team(bteam.org) — By connecting like- minded and forward-thinking business leaders, this foundation creates a “Plan B” for the way businesses are managed, starting with leadership that is more committed to well being, wisdom, and sustainable business success, according to Mo Ibrahim, founder of Celtel and a B Team Leader.

SEPTEMBER 2013 PCMA CONVENE 67

PHOTO BY MARK GREENBERG