Then, the company I was working for had a staff of 100 people or so and was making a loss. By the time he had done his rounds (about an hour later) the contract was signed. Spoke quietly for a few seconds and then hung up and we carried on the visit. When informed that the other company was the sticking point he pulled out a Nokia brick (old even by the standards then) and dialled a number. While visiting us, Branson inquired as to why such-and-such wasn't working yet. For weeks, if not months, our company had been trying to get the other lot on board in co-operation with what we were trying to do, but to no avail. One of the sticking points was the Managing Director at another company in the Virgin group. He wasn't as tall as I'd imagined he would be.Ībout 10 years ago, I was working for one of the Virgin group companies and there was this huge project we wanted to accomplish. He is usually attended at a discreet distance by large men in dark suits who don't say much.
He doesn't dress sharp, wears well-worn shoes and slouches a lot, but he's very personable. I'd go so far as to say he's quite shy, or at least that's how it came across. He's a very different person 'in the office'.
