The winners of this year’s IR Magazine US Awards are pretty unequivocal, not least because the leaders both in the large-cap and mid-cap classifications are more than 30 points ahead of their nearest runners-up.Among the large-cap firms, top dog is Hilton Worldwide Holdings. It also won the awards for best IRO and best investor meetings; it was runner-up for best senior management team, too. No mean feat. But the winner of best overall IR by a mid-cap company, First Horizon Bank, arguably did even better. It took home two other awards – best IRO and best IR by a senior management team – and it was runner-up in the award for most progress in IR.
Janet Dignan, founder of IR Magazine, introduces this year’s report
Perhaps the least surprising aspect of these results is that the two companies concerned took both the best overall award and the best IRO trophy. In a people business like investor relations, where relationship building, based largely on honesty and trust, is so utterly crucial, the two go hand-in-hand. This is borne out by some of the comments made about these two companies, and specifically about their IROs, by analysts and investors responding to our investor perception study.The following is said of Jill Slattery, IRO at Hilton Worldwide, by a buy-sider: ‘(She) is a phenomenal IRO, good at everything; a class leader.’ And a sell-side analyst says: ‘Hilton’s Jill Slattery has deep industry knowledge and sell-side experience. Her strong buy-side and sell-side network helps to bridge the gap between investors and Wall Street analysts.’The comments about First Horizon, runner-up in both these award categories, are if anything even more glowing about the firm’s IRO, Ellen Taylor. One buy-sider says: ‘Ellen Taylor leads the IR function and brings experience, professionalism and well-organized communication skills to the firm. Attention to detail and knowing the answers are Ellen’s top strengths, followed by responsiveness, accuracy of information and resourcefulness. Ellen always makes sure to make herself and the management team accessible to investors at conferences, even hosting on-site meetings with investors at First Horizon’s home office in Memphis.’That’s about as good as it gets, one might think. But this rather more succinct comment from another buy-side respondent may just outstrip it: ‘As soon as Ellen Taylor arrived at First Horizon, things turned around, which is why it is so distinctive in people’s minds. She really is a fantastic IRO.’High praise indeed but this year’s Investor Perception Study – US reports many more of a similar nature, underlining the paramount importance of investor relations teams to both their companies and the individuals in the investment markets who rely on them for honest and helpful information. Our congratulations to all those mentioned in this year’s report.
