Richard Branson lectures at Oxford

Mr Richard Branson became the fifth lecturer in University College's `Builders of the Millennium' series on 8 November, when he lectured on `Enterprise in the New Millennium' in the Examination Schools. The lecture was the first Mr Branson had given in a British university. Mr Branson spoke about the launch of his own business empire, which had led him from running an inter-school magazine at 16, to a record distribution company, then Virgin Records and, ultimately, Virgin Atlantic and his other business interests. He also commented on the contrast between British entrepreneurs who, like himself, had generally not been to university and American entrepreneurs who were generally the product of business schools. Mr Branson said that he saw companies of the future becoming `virtual companies' which marketed high quality and competitive services to the public, using assets owned and maintained by specialist providers. He also hinted at an idea for a virtual university, on which he was having discussions. In his response to Mr Branson's speech, the Master of University College, Lord Butler of Brockwell, said that the theme of Mr Branson's message had been that if a product could be provided better, it was possible to enter the market and take on giants. He added: `You are an icon of enterprise in the last decades of the twentieth century and I hope that you are an inspiration to those in your audience who wish to be the entrepreneurs of the twenty-first.'