Introduction
Another year, another report of the research into the best corporate IR practitioners in the US. Indeed, another year, another report of the research into the best corporate IR practitioners in the time of Covid. In both years we had an award specifically for the best virtual event, the importance of which has obviously risen because of Covid. But even in the regular awards there was a heightened focus on virtual events. Take this comment from a buy-sider talking about Danaher in the award category for best overall IR: ‘Danaher has hosted some stand-out virtual events, very professional and well run.’ And here’s a sell-sider talking about UnitedHealth in the best virtual event category: ‘UnitedHealth held a virtual event that was so realistic, it was like being there in person.’ For another sell-sider, Union Pacific was the star performer, underlined by this comment: ‘Union Pacific’s virtual event is the only one that stood out. It helped us to understand the moving pieces since the start of the pandemic.’ It’s going to be interesting to see how such events develop in future, especially in an era – soon, we all hope – when in-person meetings become appropriate again. In practical terms, there are clearly time and cost savings, both for the companies and their audiences, but in-person meetings do have their advantages, not least the opportunity for impromptu discussions that can be helpful in relationship-building terms. We shall see.
More broadly, it’s always interesting to note the companies that, regardless of the specific demands, have managed to improve the impact of their IR over the previous year. Comparing the performance of this year’s top 100 companies with their performance last year shows some big changes. The largest mover is Caesars Entertainment, which has leapt up from its 2021 ranking, when it was in joint 219th place, to 23rd this year. Impressive by any standard. The table below lists the 10 most dramatic climbers, all of which have moved up more than 100 places since 2021.
Statistics aside, all the award winners and runners-up deserve praise, and any company that attracts enough positive attention to get even a mention in this report can feel proud of its IR prowess. Our congratulations to them all.
