JEDDAH, 27 February 2008 — After much anticipation and two sessions of absent and late speakers during the third and final day of the Jeddah Economic Forum (JEF), Sir Richard Branson appeared with his arms spread to the sides twisting right and left flying his way to the stage.

During his visit, Britain’s most leading entrepreneur and CEO of the Virgin brand saw more to Saudi Arabia than what the rest of the world did.

“It’s a much more positive impression than the last five years. There’s enormous warmth from the people and I think there’s an urgency to show that Saudi Arabia is not a conservative country as the impression is around the world,” said Branson.

“Saudi Arabia is moving forward and wanting change. It’s been a delightful 24 hours.”

With 200 branded companies worldwide employing approximately 50,000 people and $24-billion annual revenues, Branson told the audience of JEF that the best leaders are motivated individuals who believe in themselves and in their people.

“Fortunately, ever since I was a young man I loved people so it hasn’t been difficult for me to be a leader. I think if you were a good leader people would do anything for you. And if they believe in you, they believe in what you are trying to do,” said Branson.

A dyslexic child who left school at an early age, 57-year-old Branson believes that great leadership isn’t just about what to do you do and why you do it. To him, it’s a waste of time and effort to set goals to make lots of money. Passion must be the driving force. “You must be passionate about what you want to do and help change the world for the better,” he said. “There is no point in spending time making business unless you’re going to make a massive difference in people’s lives who 100 percent believe in what you’re doing and what they’re doing.”

Branson said that as an entrepreneur he gets great satisfaction not by how much money he makes, or how much is there in his bank account, but from what people say to him and how he managed to build his empire.

“It’s about building a brand that everyone can be proud of,” he said. When asked about his experience in the United Kingdom negotiating with the government and the possibility of developing partnership between the business class and the government, Branson said that it’s important that the government and the business keep their distance.

“The government is often the judge and the jury who makes decisions. I think it’s extremely important that business leaders and entrepreneurs don’t get tempted to bribe government leaders,” he said.

“Innocent people can’t afford this because they can’t afford to pay bribes. The business community must stick together and must not pay bribes.”

Defining the meaning of an enterprise, Branson said that it’s not a brand or a piece of metal that flies through the sky. The company is people. When he started Virgin Atlantic 25 years ago, he had an enthusiastic wonderful team of people.

“They used to go on planes with a smile having a wonderful experience. They knew that people who created Virgin were right and they were proud of the company they worked for,” said Branson. “The challenge was whether we will manage to have the same spirit in 25 years time. That’s the challenge for any company, to keep that enthusiasm.”

“Saying what he think is right” to an audience of segregated men and women, Branson said he would love to see women sitting among men having a normal conversation.

Branson’s continuous optimism had him develop his own spaceships that are going to be ready after 18 months. He sent a message to the youth saying that remaining optimistic, positive and determined is the formula to creating a better world.

“We enjoyed the most beautiful world ever and hopefully our children will be positive and determined to make the world better by thinking about other people. They will create wonderful alliances as we did,” said Branson.