Industry Sectors - Business & Employment Services: First

Jaime Brandwood, Mark Shepperd & teamUBS

The buy side says: “They have unrivaled consistency in great stock picks.”

For a seventh year running, UBS maintains an iron grip on the pole position. Co-led by Jamie Brandwood, 34, and Mark Shepperd, 54, the four-member team exhibits “very strong sector knowledge, good service with regard to individual requests, and great stock picks,” according to one portfolio manager. The analysts reiterated their buy rating on Ireland’s Experian in December 2009, at 598p, counting on the global credit bureau’s central — and strengthening — position in U.S. lending practices. The call proved prescient: By the end of December 2010, Experian shares had climbed 33.4 percent, to 798p, and led the sector by 16 percentage points. “Experian was a great call, based on insightful industry and company research,” cheers one grateful supporter.