Christopher Pitcher & team, Redburn Partners

After two years in the runner-up position, the Redburn Partners duo directed by Christopher Pitcher rises to third place. “He really helps me to understand the longer-term threats and opportunities — very helpful given all the noise about near-term, quarter-to-quarter trading,” says one buy-side backer. The London-based analysts follow ten companies in both beverages and tobacco, and among the names they’ve been recommending is Rémy Cointreau. They told investors to buy the French liqueur producer and distributor’s stock in May, at €53.92, largely on the strength of the company’s expansion in China. The stock had risen 15.2 percent, to €62.09, by the end of the year.