Virgin
founder Richard Branson is the most popular business leader in the UK,
according to a new poll.
Research
found that Sir Richard – whose empire includes mobile phones, an airline and a
record label – was rated number one entrepreneur by 63 per cent of people in a
poll conducted by NOP.
Body
Shop founder Anita Roddick ranked second after gaining 9 per cent of the vote,
with Easyjet founder Stelios Haji-Iaonnou third, with 4 per cent.
The
poll for Lewis PR found that 61 per cent admired Branson for his business flair
and 53 per cent for his media work.
Tim
Luckett, head of personal PR at Lewes, said the profile of entrepreneurs in the
press was extremely important.
"There
are a lot of business leaders out there but their profile is relatively
low," he said.
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"With
respect to Branson, he has been around for years but he knows the importance of
the media and makes it work for him,” he said.