Marketers the future of UK business - not techies

Marketing professionals make better business leaders than technologists - quite possibly because they exhibit more "emotional intelligence".

A survey of 1,000 UK business leaders taken in advance of a major business leadership conference this autumn asked a mix of high-level executives 'Which profession makes the best business leaders?'

Marketers came first on 38 per cent, sales professionals second on 21, engineers third on 18 and HT and accountants fourth and fifth on 13 and 10 per cent respectively.

Commentators these days point out the importance of brand to most businesses' fortunes but Tina Schneidermann, president of the Leaders in London event, pointed out the results may be down to the maturity of certain professions.

Taking into account that the category 'engineers' stretches wider than IT and communications workers, she said: "IT is still an industry of limited maturity. It takes time to go through the management ranks and there aren't a lot of born leaders."

Cynics would point out that many people who work with technology tend to be straightforward and logical in decision-making whereas marketing is often a profession associated with modern-day tactics of spin.

Schneidermann added: "There is an element of truth in that. Being too blunt can be a put-off. You need emotional intelligence, though I also would encourage being straightforward."

The survey was conducted with chief executives, company directors and senior managers across the UK.