Queen at 90: Elizabeth II named as female figure with best leadership skills

Queen Elizabeth II has been listed as the role model with the best leadership skills, according to the results of a new survey. More than 60% of respondents considered the British royal to be the person who best embodies leadership, putting her on top of others such as Angela Merkel and Hillary Clinton.

The research was conducted by YouGov on behalf of MAKERS, a global women's leadership platform by AOL. The group aims to celebrate the stories of groundbreaking women and bring to life the qualities most admired in female leaders.

Jude Kelly, founder of Women of the World (WOW) festival and UK representative for the Global MAKERS Partner Council, said: "With composites of the 'perfect woman' a regular fixture across media, and all too often focusing on beauty ideals, what's interesting about this recent research is that it shows clearly that the most celebrated women are from different backgrounds and a diverse range of strengths and skills."

The Queen appeared alongside other British female personalities in the survey, including Mary Berry who was voted as the woman who best embodies integrity. Olympic athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill was highlighted for her strength, drive and ambition with 68% of the British public placing her above people such as Hillary Clinton (54%) and Victoria Beckham (41%).

Other British women to feature prominently in the research was in the category of the "most compassionate public figure", which saw activist Joanna Lumley come out on top (46%), followed by the Duchess of Cambridge (42%). Harry Potter author JK Rowling was said to be the best embodiment of creativity and vision with more than half (56%) voting for her, while British singer Adele received 36% of the vote.

Samantha Leibovitz, MAKERS Vice President and Creative Director, said: "Bringing our platform to the UK is an amazing opportunity to showcase important stories that need to be told and to grow the impact we can have on the next generation of leaders around the globe."

Alongside Jude Kelly, UK's MAKERS will include singer Annie Lennox, comedian Sandi Toksvig, Founder of Everyday Sexism Laura Bates, British computing, mathematics and language child prodigy Anne-Marie Imafidon, and Director of SOAS University, Baroness Valerie Amos.