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Turner & Branson On Giving

Fellow billionaires Sir Richard Branson and Ted Turner on philanthropy and their global health initiatives. Branson’s advice: First achieve success then make a difference.
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What’s the Latest Development?

Media mogul Ted Turner and Virgin billionaire Sir Richard Branson recently spoke about their latest initiatives in global health. Among other things, Branson had established a health clinic in South Africa and has become an advocate for the war on drugs, Turner has pledged $1 billion to help establish the UN Foundation and is AN advocate for women’s health and the fight against female genital mutilation.

What’s the Big Idea?

Branson’s advice is to first make your business a success. “There’s no point trying to change the world until you’ve got your business running and are relatively secure.” Then, he said, it’s your responsibility to be ethical and make a difference. Turner was in witty form, saying he loved lists, adding: “I like being in the list of the biggest givers rather than the list of the richest men.” Backstage he quipped that “I was worth $10 billion one time, then, well, AOL and so forth, and then I gave away a whole lot, about half… But you can get by on $2 billion.”

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