Contributor: Elon Musk

Elon Musk is a director of the Planetary Society, a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, and a trustee of The X-Prize Foundation. He is also chairman of the Musk Foundation, which concentrates its philanthropic efforts on science education, clean energy and paediatric health.

Musk was CEO of X/PayPal from January 1999 to October 2000, and was on the board of directors until the sale of the company. It was during his time at X/PayPal that the company established itself as the leading email payments company - through an aggressive viral growth system - worked out its business model and built the customer service and fraud centre.

In 2005, Musk acquired part ownership of Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, a world renowned designer, manufacturer and operator of high-performance small satellites, majority owned by the University of Surrey.