Thomas Chauvet & team, Citi

The Citi duo led by Thomas Chauvet, which spent the past two years in the runner-up spot, advances to second place. “They have very good insight and strong relationships, especially in the French and Swiss luxury companies — which makes them a great source of corporate access and info on those names,” says one satisfied client. The London-based team leader and his associate follow eight stocks and expect that number to rise this year with the addition of small-cap names. They are currently favoring Swiss watch manufacturers, on the belief that these companies offer the best long-term growth potential owing to their “high emerging-markets exposure, supply-demand imbalances, pricing power, cost and capital discipline, and strong balance sheets,” Chauvet says.