Federer, Mandela Are World’s Most Respected & Trusted

Roger Federer’s reputation as a respected, admired and trusted personality is second only to that of former South African president Nelson Mandela, a new global study of more than 50,000 people in 25 countries shows.

Federer finished ahead of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey and Bono in the 2011 Leader RepTrak, which assesses the reputations of the world’s 54 most visible public figures in politics, business, culture and sports. Derek Jeter was the second highest-rated athlete on the list at No. 16, while David Beckham finished at No. 24, one place behind LeBron James.

“The results of Reputation Institute’s study confirm that people respect leaders that participate in philanthropic activities outside of their own celebrity,” said Reputation Institute Chairman, Dr. Charles Fombrun. “The public’s top two on our list, Mandela and Federer, have emotional ties to South Africa, and donate both time and money to the betterment of the region and its people. They get praise for their efforts.”

The 30-year-old Swiss, a winner of a record 16 Grand Slam titles, has been actively involved in charitable activities on the ATP World Tour - including the Rally For Relief to support Queensland flood victims earlier this season - and through his own foundation. The Roger Federer Foundation supports education and sports projects in Ethiopia, South Africa, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Switzerland.

Rank Name RepTrak Pulse

1 Nelson Mandela 78.5
2 Roger Federer 72.1
3 Bill Gates 71.7
4 Warren Buffett 69.7
5 Richard Branson 68.3
6 Steve Jobs 68.3
7 Oprah Winfrey 67.7
8 Bono 67.7
9 Ratan Tata 66.3
10 Elizabeth II 64.9

* chart courtesy of Reputation Institute