IR Magazine reveals its forums, think tanks and award ceremonies to end 2022 with a bang and hit the ground running in 2023
The IR Magazine Events team has a busy season ahead with more than 10 events on the calendar focused on IR best practices, networking and learning. Below is an overview of all you need to know about the forums, think tanks and awards ceremonies coming up near you, and what makes each of them a must-attend on the global IR calendar.
Prioritizing ESGIR Magazine has teamed up with its online sister publication Corporate Secretary to host our fifth ESG Integration Forum, which will take place in New York City on December 1 and 2. With the ‘anti-ESG’ movement on the rise and a recession looming, public companies are having to reassess which ESG issues to focus their efforts on.
IR Magazine research shows that IR teams are keen to understand how investor expectations around ESG have evolved in the current climate and make sense of the impending regulatory changes to prepare for 2023.
As various functions share the role of communicating ESG initiatives at a public firm, the forum brings together IR, governance and sustainability teams to better respond to stakeholder expectations on ESG and discuss key market trends impacting their role.
‘Our company understands the value and importance of implementing ESG actions,’ says Scott Powell, executive vice president of IR and CFO of Volition America, who will be participating in the forum in December.
‘We have made meaningful progress in this area during the past few years, reflecting the significance of these corporate actions, which have been well received by both our internal and external stakeholders. I look forward to an engaging discussion with my fellow panelists at the upcoming forum in New York.’
Other speakers include Jeffrey Taylor, chief SEC counsel and secretary at American Water Works, Sarah Hughes, head of ESG and sustainable investing at American Century Investments, PMI’s chief sustainability officer Jennifer Motles, Curtis Ravenel, founding member of the Financial Stability Board's TCFD secretariat and Chad Reed, vice president of strategic initiatives and ESG at Hannon Armstrong.
Discussions will cover critical ESG trends, SEC regulations, preparing for proxy season 2023, reporting best practices, sector-specific issues material to a business and the buy side’s view on ESG information in the current market.
Panelists will also share their views on environmentalism beyond climate, explore the business impact on biodiversity and take a look at human capital management following the Great Resignation and wage inflation.
All content will be streamed live to a virtual audience. Some features are available only to in-person attendees, such as an informal Q&A session with investors and sector-specific roundtable discussions on various topics.
Go East IR Magazine will host two forums and awards ceremonies in Asia, on December 6 in South East Asia and December 8 in Greater China.
With restrictions easing and markets opening up to post-pandemic possibilities, the pressure to attract new investment pools is heavier than ever so the forums will focus on increasing engagement with international investors and best practices to maximize being back on the road, as well as address IR challenges in a turbulent geopolitical environment.
Jenny Huang, managing director at Euroland IR and one of the speakers at the Greater China Forum, says of her decision to participate: ‘It has always been important to keep up to date with capital market trends and find solutions that provide best-in-class shareholder communication programs.
‘But it has become critical in the current climate, where macroeconomic and geopolitical factors directly or indirectly impact companies. Being passive doesn’t help avoid the problem. Now is the time to actively create a vision and lay out winning IR strategies.’
Issuers and investors from the regions are also on the speaker lineup to share views on market conditions and advice on what IR teams can do to create a robust shareholder communications program in 2023.
‘What I expect from the upcoming event is an in-depth discussion and analysis of the challenges we are facing and what actions IR professionals should undertake to retain investor confidence,’ Huang adds. ‘Amid the challenges, what pitfalls could it create and what opportunities could the current situation bring? I hope we can bring IR professionals from different sectors together to share perspectives.’
An IR Magazine Awards ceremony will follow each forum. More than 25 investor relations teams and individuals in each region will be recognized and honored for their hard work and performance, as ranked by regional investors and analysts.
William Tsang, head of research at Chartwell Capital and a member of the IR Magazine judging panel for the awards, had this to say when asked what he was looking for when evaluating which IR teams communicated best during a crisis: ‘I looked to see how the company addressed issues directly and compared that with peers in the market. I also looked at the outcome after the company managed the crisis.’
Tsang says he has ‘also noticed a trend where listed corporates are expanding their efforts in investor relations and how IR communicates with shareholders, as well as its efforts connecting the capital markets – I think this is important.’
These events are scheduled to run virtually but we intend to return to in-person events in Hong Kong and Singapore next year as restrictions ease.
New Year, new you? Come January, the focus of the IR calendar shifts to career development and recession-proofing IR programs and budgets. The events listing features a forum on ESG integration in London on March 2, a think tank on the West Coast on March 22 and an IR Magazine Forum in Toronto on April 5.
Richard Lacaille, global head of ESG at State Street, shared his views at the IR Magazine Forum – ESG Integration Europe in November on how he sees ESG through the lens of financial risk and how companies can incorporate ESG into their corporate strategy that aligns with long-term investor needs.
The forum in March 2023 will continue the conversation by exploring how companies have incorporated ESG and how the economy has further impacted European investor sentiment.
‘The think tank on the West Coast is a must-attend for seasoned and new IROs,’ says Linda Pazin, director of strategic communications at Sempra Energy, a regular at the event. ‘Curated content, like a buy-side-only panel, is fantastic, and the layout provides a great opportunity to hear best practices and unique ideas that help improve how we deliver our stories.'
IR Magazine Think Tanks are exclusively for senior IROs at public companies and are consistently rated 4.75 out of 5 by attendees.
In a deviation from the traditional format, the IR Magazine Forum – Canada in Toronto will feature data-driven discussions based on IR Magazine research around the impact of market conditions on the investor relations function.
‘The roundtable discussions were an excellent way to bring up topics and learn how others are dealing with challenging issues,’ points out Kim MacEachern, IR manager at Calgary, Alberta-based Computer Modelling Group, and also a past attendee. The event will feature a mixture of panels and roundtable discussions.
Work hard, get an awardLast but by no means least is an update from the IR Magazine research team, which is currently collating responses from hundreds of investors and analysts to determine the short lists for next year’s IR Magazine Awards. The winners, after thorough deliberation, will be revealed on March 30 in New York for the US market and on April 5 in Toronto for the Canadian market. The judging panel for the self-entry award categories is accepting nominations until December 9.
Nominated IROs can look forward to dressing up for this glamorous black-tie affair and meeting friends old and new. Attendees have been promised a night of entertainment, shock reveals and good, old-fashioned networking.
Visit IRmagazine.com for details, updates and bookings for all our events
