As Virgin Galactic’s first full-time employee, Stephen laid the foundations to turn one of the world’s most ambitious projects into a profitable business in tune with the parent brand. Working alongside technical and engineering functions, he’s responsible for sales and marketing, licensing and partnerships. Showing awe-inspiring film clips, Stephen describes the dawn of a new space age, and how huge innovations will affect conventional air travel.
Stephen Attenborough is the former Commercial Director of the world’s first commercial space travel business, Virgin Galactic.
Stephen left school and went straight into the City of London, eventually working in business management for Gartmore, one of the largest investment houses in the UK. After a decade and a half with Gartmore, Stephen left to work for Virgin Galactic, arguably one of the most exciting businesses prospects around. The company’s first full-time employee, Stephen was responsible for laying the commercial foundations to make one of the most ambitious business projects ever a reality.
Although in his own words Stephen is ‘not a space nut’, he was recruited to Sir Richard Branson’s brainchild to lead sales, business development, marketing, PR, licensing, commercial partnerships and customer retention. In short, to make the project a viable, commercial prospect.The Virgin Galactic business has two aspects: the technical and engineering, and the commercial. Stephen’s role was principally concerned with how a project as innovative and unusual as Virgin Galactic can make a profit.
Taking in areas of research and development, logistics, marketing and branding, Stephen looks at how to balance all of these vital elements to create a viable business that retains the values and reputation of a brand. With awe-inspiring footage and images, he speaks about making a spaceline a reality, the dawn of a new, commercial space age, and how the huge innovations taking place will affect conventional air travel.
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