Most Admired No.1: Marks & Spencer, Stuart Rose, CEO

It takes a mighty effort to knock Sir Terry Leahy’s Tesco off the top spot, but under Rose, M&S has done it, rocketing up 16 places in the league table and coming first in an unprecedented five out of our nine criteria. Rose’s ‘Plan A’ sustainability strategy has cleverly captured the business zeitgeist, and making a £1bn annual profit looks certain for the first time in a decade.