Founder, Virgin Group
Age: 56
He's brash. He's charming. And he likes to pull off daredevil feats. Branson's also made billions from Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Trains, Virgin Limousines, and some 200 other Virgin brands. Having done his part to deplete the ozone layer, Branson's now trying to make amends. In September he announced that he will donate all profits from Virgin's transportation businesses during the next decade -- a sum that could exceed $3 billion -- to combating global warming. Age: 56
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