Mike Kendrick

"Mike Kendrick founded The Mineseeker Foundation and Mineseeker Operations and personally recruited eminent patrons including Nelson Mandela, Queen Noor, Sir Richard Branson, and Lord Attenborough.

"Mike held a number of executive positions in marketing and PR including, Managing Director and shareholder of Good Relations part of the largest PR Consultancy in the UK, which became the first company of its type to secure a public listing in 1972. He formed a company called Lighter Than Air Ltd, essentially to commercialise the potential of hot air balloons and airships, and became well known in the UK for producing TV programmes on a local, national and international level.

"In 1988 he formed the Virgin Airship and Balloon Company (VABC) which became the world’s largest aerial advertising agency, operating over seventy aircraft in more than twenty countries, for blue chip clients including Goodyear, Budweiser, Met Life, Sanyo, Blockbuster, Mazda and Orange... He was also Project Director of all of Sir Richard Branson’s high profile world record attempts, responsible for all aspects of the projects including budgets, safety, technical assessment and media exposure.

"Mike Kendrick was also a director and founder shareholder of several other Virgin companies including Virgin Projects, Vintage Airlines, and Virgin Blockbuster. He sold this interest in 2002. He has held a commercial pilot’s license and has held several aviation world records."