Previously President of Virgin Galactic, Will Whitehorn pioneered the development and concept of commercial spaceflight. He draws the distinction between invention and innovation – and argues that with the right incentives the private sector can create a whole new industrial revolution in space.
Current Work:
He is a skilled and charismatic keynote speaker, and, apart from various other non-exec roles, he has also been a guest lecturer at University College London in business innovation.
Having handed over Virgin Galactic to a US-based President ready for its next phase, Will has returned to brands and communication, while continuing to keep a hand in disruption and innovation.
He holds Chair and board positions at transport group Stagecoach, three brand and communications companies, and mobility innovation company Transport Systems Catapult.
Will is also a director of the Science and Technology Facilities Council, the government funding body for scientific research, and is the President of the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport (CILTUK).
Previous Experience:
Virgin Galactic: As President of Virgin Galactic, Will was at the hub of one of the most exciting business and technology ventures of the twenty first century - commercial space travel. He took the project from being the nascent dream of Will's boss, Sir Richard Branson, to a project with real spacecraft, test flights and a spaceport.
Will steered Virgin Galactic from concept to reality, convincing investors, overseeing technical plans, and moving to a position where daily flights to one hundred miles above the Earth's surface was a genuine possibility. Few can claim to be involved in such a breakthrough project.
Virgin Group: Will also served as the Virgin Group's Brand Development & Corporate Affairs Director, a Special Advisor to the Virgin Group, and worked on large-scale Virgin projects including the Pendolino train. He was seen as Branson's right-hand man, having closely worked with him for over twenty years.
Joining Virgin in his mid-twenties, the young Scot was enthused by Branson's approach. Will explains that Virgin can go almost anywhere, from cola to credit cards to space flight. Even if a particular new venture doesn't work out, the brand should remain undamaged.
Talking Points
Leadership and communication
Leadership and communication
Innovation; engendering a culture of innovation
Innovation; engendering a culture of innovation
Product design
Product design
Creating an industrial revolution in space
Creating an industrial revolution in space
Marketing and branding: The Virgin story
Marketing and branding: The Virgin story
