Ritsuko Tsunoda J.P. Morgan

Down one notch to No. 2 is Ritsuko Tsunoda, who joined J.P. Morgan in July from Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She is “highly accessible on a pro-active rather than a reactive basis,” applauds one buy-side backer. Tsunoda reports on 11 companies and is bullish on those with strong top-line growth, which she believes will result in higher dividends; examples include cigarette maker Japan Tobacco, diaper manufacturer Unicharm Corp. and packaged-foods distributor Toyo Suisan Kaisha, all of which are headquartered in Tokyo. — Pam Baker