Richard Dale, the top-rated UK media analyst at Salomon Smith Barney, has been promoted to run the enlarged European equity research department at SSSB as a result of last week's acquisition.

He will be co-head of research with Michael Crawshaw, currently head of equity research at Schroders. Dale's promotion may avoid a potential clash with Patrick Wellington head of Schroder Securities media team. Dale and Crawshaw will sit below Richard Wyatt of Schroders who has been appointed head of European equities, and who will report to Salomon's ex-priest, Jim O'Donnell, the overall head of equities for SSSB in London. The moves were outlined in an internal memo to Salomon staff last week. Glen Poulter, head of sales trading at Schroders, is thought likely to head European sales trading at the combined company. Dale joined what was then plain Salomon Brothers in 1996 as part of the exodus of analysts after Merrill bought Smith New Court. His colleague David Forster followed him to Salomon and will now assume responsibility for European media coverage. He replaces Albert Richards who has masterminded the explosive growth in Salomon's research business over the past five years. When he joined in 1994, Salomon had 10 analysts in Europe and was ranked 37th for its European research. In last week's Reuters survey its team of 233 analysts ranked seventh.Richards will now be head of internet strategy, returning to his roots as an analyst. In addition to writing on the wider impact of the internet on European corporates, he will head the dedicated internet sector research team, with two recently hired analysts, Morten Andersen and Gerard van Hamel Platerink. Crawshaw's appointment will raise morale among Schroder Securities' team of analysts, who stand to lose out more than most from the acquisition. Crawshaw has been building a team from scratch over the past four years, which now has more than 70 analysts in Europe. However, in last week's Reuters survey Schroders slipped from the top 10 to 11th equal.