Simon Draper

Simon Draper is a British and South African businessman and co-founder of Virgin Records along with his cousin Richard Branson. He was chairman of Virgin Records, and owned 15% of the label. He is credited for the avant-garde musical and creative direction of the record label, and for signing and promoting hit music artists including Human League, Can, Mike Oldfield, Phil Collins, Culture Club and the Sex Pistols.

Following the sale of Virgin Records to EMI in 1992 for $1 billion, he founded the publishing house Palawan Press, for exclusive and limited edition books costing from £75 to £2000, inspired by his collection of contemporary art and rare Aston Martins, including the DB3S, DBR1, DB4 GT Zagato, and DP214 prototype.

Draper was born in South Africa, and completed an undergraduate degree in English and Politics from Natal University, in Durban. He used to collect records and hosted a radio show in Durban. In 1971, as a twenty-year-old, he arrived in London to continue his studies and look for a job, at his second cousin Richard Branson's fledging mail order company Virgin.

Despite them being cousins, Branson had not met Draper prior to his arrival in London. Draper, at a meeting in Greek Cafe in Paddington, had hoped to find some part-time work from Branson. However, Branson himself not being as musically inclined, and realizing Draper's talent for music, offered him the job of establishing Virgin Records.

"We were the market, ourselves. Not Richard, because he wasn’t really interested in music – he had the long hair but that was about it. But everyone else who worked at Virgin was passionate about it. More often than not after work we'd all go straight out to listen to live music. And smoke a lot of dope!"