Jefferies has just poached UBS’s top internet analyst

If you want to escape the storm surrounding equity research, it helps to be highly-ranked and to cover a sector that’s in demand.

Tech analysts remain highly sought-after and Jefferies is the latest bank to poach a senior researcher. It’s just hired Brent Thill, a senior tech analyst at UBS, as a managing director and head of internet research based across its San Francisco and New York offices.

Thill also led UBS’s software research team in the U.S, which was ranked number one by Institutional Investor magazine.

Jefferies has been hiring, in both the U.S. and London, and research has been a big focus – both in the senior ranks and among juniors. However, it also has some gaps to fill.

Brad Zelnick, who spent three years as a managing director in software research at Jefferies in New York, jumped to Credit Suisse in April.

Top analysts who cover software and internet companies remain in demand despite the general reduction in equity research headcount. But they’re also being hired by the companies they cover.

Earlier this month, Edward Hill-Wood, managing director and head of European internet research at Morgan Stanley, left the bank to join media firm Naspers as head of investor relations.

Contact: pclarke@efinancialcareers.com