Richard Branson proved CEOs have another side than what meets the eye.
On Wednesday, Virgin CEO Richard Branson faced-off with UFC fighter Conor McGregor at the Pendulum Summit in Dublin’s Convention Centre.
The fighter was on stage to receive a life-long achievement award due to his championship runs in cage fighting firms Cage Warriors and UFC, then, the charismatic CEO appeared on stage to deliver such award to McGregor, the encounter got so heated up that both men finished “squaring off” for the delight of the people present.
Contrary to the serious and always-thinking-about-business character that could surround the idea of a CEO, Branson sets loose a cool and attracting vibe worthy of admiring.
Richard Branson proved, once again, that a light, attracting and kind personality can go hand-in-hand with power and business. So, is a CEO allowed to have fun?
These are some great examples of sides you did not know about some of the most powerful CEOs, chairmen and corporate leaders.
Hello from the other side
- Jack Ma | The billionaire CEO of Alibaba showed that he can sing and dance. Ma has performed a choreographed dance to Michael Jackson at his company’s 18th annual celebration and also performed songs from the “Lion King” at a company meeting of more than 16,000 people back in 2014.
- Elon Musk | On June 2017, the Tesla CEO was asked how big the Falcon 9 really is. Under petition of the social network user, Musk responded, believe it or not, with a dick joke. And it´s exactly what you expected.
- William Barron Hilton | The other side of the co-founder of Hilton Hotels, and grandfather of Paris Hilton, is that he loves to fly, so, he set up a 750,000-acre ranch in Nevada for all his aviation activities. He also hosts a flying competition where the winner gets to come check out the Flying-M ranch.
- Sandy Lerner | Lerner and her ex-husband, Len Bosack, built up Cisco in the 1980´s after selling its first router in 1986. However, one of Lerner’s favorite hobbies has been jousting, and she has been doing it for so long that after she left Silicon Valley in the mid-’90s, she headed to Upperville, Va. and purchased a historic 800-acre farm where she currently manages 34 Shire horses, according to Forbes.
- Anil Ambani | The chairman of Reliance ADA Group is a big-time fan of running marathons like the annual Boston race. If there is none, as a part of his daily routine, Ambani usually practices runing the streets of Mumbai before dawn in the company of his bodyguards.
- William C. Ford Jr. | Will Ford is known for being the executive chairman of Ford Motors and grandson of the late Henry Ford. Surprisingly, the company leader is also a big fan of Tae Kwon-Do, where he owns a black belt and has shown his great ability to break boards with his hands.
