Millionaire businessman Richard Branson has been named as the greatest leader of all time.

In a survey of 1,000 employees across the UK by business communications and management training consultancy Mentor, Branson came out top, narrowly beating war-time Prime Minister Winston Churchill into second place.

The results also showed a regional divide.

Branson received the highest share of votes in London, the East, the South East, the South West and the Midlands. But Churchill topped the poll in Scotland, the North East, the North West and Northern Ireland.

Welsh people, disagreed completely with the rest of the country (and between themselves) and had five leaders in the top spot - Tony Benn, Queen Elizabeth II, Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King and Margaret Thatcher.

Current Prime Minister Blair didn’t make it into the top ten, coming in at equal 15 with Queen Victoria.

The survey by business communications and management training consultants Mentor Consultancy asked which public figures had the best leadership qualities in terms of motivating and inspiring others.

Magnus Carter, Managing Director of the Mentor Consultancy said: "There do seem to be some shared qualities that apply to most of the winners… probably the strongest common bond is the ability to overcome adversity or to perform beyond expectations."