Britain's Most Admired No 7: Rolls-Royce, Sir John Rose
Malawi-born Rose has been at the controls for 15 years, during which time RR's order book has grown from under £10bn to nearly £60bn.
Never one for the spotlight, Rose has quietly made RR the world's number two aero engine manufacturer. But the transition to new boss John Rishton may be overshadowed by the problems with its Trent 900 engine, which grounded Qantas's A380 superjumbo fleet in November.