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Articles by Lloyd Bevan
Should companies speak out on social issues? IROs give their take
Part of the rise of ESG in recent years has been an increasing demand for companies to engage in social issues. This is not just about a company being held accountable for its own internal performance on these matters; it’s also about the extent to which it is actively seeking to effect change in wider society. In March, IR Magazine released its Corporate Social Activism report, which examines the extent and effects of how companies engage in social and political issues.
The road to recovery: The post-pandemic outlook for IR in Asia
The practice of and resources for IR in Asia have traditionally differed from those in North America and Europe. The experience of Covid-19 and its associated restrictions to working practices has heightened these differences. Asia was the region first in and last out of the pandemic’s restrictions, which were often more severe there than elsewhere. Examining recent history of Asian IR practice helps us understand where IR is now in Asia and what the immediate priorities are for the future.
Technology & social media investor relations
It may seem like a strange topic for this column in the fall edition of IR Magazine, but we are not talking here about everyone’s...
The best IR teams in Asia, according to investors and analysts
More than half of IR Magazine’s top-performing companies for IR in Asia are new entrants to this year’s charts. Both the IR Magazine Greater China Top 25 2022 and the IR Magazine South East Asia Top 25 2022 include 13 companies that did not make it into the 2021 tables.
Senior management involvement in IR rises to pre-pandemic levels
The amount of time spent by senior management on IR has returned to the level seen before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the latest research from IR Magazine. The IR Magazine Global Practice Report 2022 shows the average amount of time spent on IR by senior management teams is currently 44 days, one day fewer than in 2019, the last full year before the pandemic hit.
IR budgets recover in North America and Europe but drop sharply in Asia
The overall average global IR budget stands at $336,000 in 2022, according to the latest IR Magazine Global Investor Relations Practice Report, representing a marginal increase of just $1,000 from 2021. However, this global stability masks the underlying regional volatility, with increases in North American and European budgets being offset by a sharp fall in Asian budgets. North American budgets remain the highest, with an overall average of $407,000.
European firms and mega-caps lead return to in-person roadshows
European companies are leading the return to in-person roadshows as the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions on travel are lifted. They are closely followed by North American companies, though lingering restrictions in Asia have led to a slower return to the road by firms there. The new IR Magazine Global Roadshow Report 2022 finds that as of Q3 2022, 65 percent of European companies had returned to the road.
On the road again: Global in-person and virtual trends revealed in IR Magazine Global Roadshow Report 2022
This year has seen a return to the road as companies resumed travel for in-person roadshows. It comes after a two-year hiatus when the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions put paid to the traditional roadshow format. According to the featured in this issue, 55 percent of companies held in-person roadshows in the 12 months from Q3 2021 to Q3 2022. Pre-pandemic, the traditional in-person roadshow was a cornerstone of IR activity. Where to go? Who to go on the road with? Which managers to take on the road?
Male IR heads at small caps paid more than female heads
Companies of differing sizes have mixed results in the path to gender equality, according to IR Magazine’s latest Women in IR 2022 report. The report, which delves deeper into the research from IR Magazine’s Global IR Salary & Careers Report 2022, reveals that smaller companies do well in terms of equality for IR heads, while larger companies have achieved pay equality for IROs in the team. Analysis of research into pay and seniority in IR teams in 2021 shows 54 percent of IR heads are women.
High satisfaction with IR websites from both IROs and institutional investors
Just under four in five IROs view IR websites as an effective tool in engaging with institutional investors, according to the latest report on these sites by IR Magazine. This compares with just 8 percent who view websites as ineffective for institutional engagement and is a greater proportion than the 62 percent of IROs who see them as effective in dealing with retail investors. How IROs view the utility of websites in engaging with institutional investors rises according to company size.
Covid-19 increases importance of ESG to IROs
Belief strongest in Asia but North Americans disagree IR Magazine research shows a clear majority of IROs view an increase in the importance of ESG as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, while opinion is more divided among investors. The latest global study by IR Magazine into the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic shows 56 percent of IROs agreeing with the view that Covid-19 has increased the importance of ESG issues, with 23 percent of IROs in strong agreement.
A site for more eyes: How can IR professionals use their websites to engage effectively with retail investors?
Retail investor communication has always been a challenge for IR. IROs have traditionally paid greater attention to institutional investors, which are fewer in number and wield considerably more clout. Retail investors are more disparate, and individual relationships yield lower rewards. The IR Magazine Global Investor Relations Practice Report 2021 shows just over a quarter of shares are held by individuals.
Real estate and energy sectors branded ‘ESG laggards’ but outperform peers, notes Federated Hermes
Environmental factors have become a statistically meaningful driver of shareholder returns over the past two years, according to controversial ESG investing champion Federated Hermes. Avoiding the ‘ESG laggards’ and those whose standards are slipping is a crucial way to capture the ESG premium, the US firm’s global equities team has found.
Economy performs better than expected during Covid-19 pandemic, says new research
A clear majority of both IR professionals and investors believe the economy has performed better than they anticipated at the beginning of the pandemic, according to latest research by IR Magazine. The latest Covid-19 Update report shows more than six in 10 IROs and investors view the economy as having performed better than they considered it would at the onset of the pandemic.
Intesa Sanpaolo, Allianz and Iberdrola climb ranks of IR Magazine Euro Top 100
German and large-cap companies dominate the new post-pandemic IR Magazine Investor Perception Study – Europe 2022 Seven of the top 10 companies in this year’s IR Magazine Euro Top 100 held top 10 places in last year’s Euro Top 100. Within the wider list, however, there has been significant change, with approaching half of companies in the ranking being new entrants for 2022 and the same proportion new to the top 50.
Buy side leads increase in non-domestic engagement
IR Magazine’s new Corporate Access II report reveals ‘dramatic shifts’ in Asia The shift to virtual meetings during the Covid-19 pandemic has greatly increased the engagement of investors with companies outside of their region, according to the latest report on corporate access from IR Magazine.
Meetings of minds: Are in-person or virtual meetings best for corporate access?
One thing that may become apparent looking back on the Covid-19 pandemic is not so much how it created new trends in working practices, but rather that it dramatically accelerated nascent trends, forcing individuals and firms to abandon the traditional way of doing things and providing a vacuum for ideas such as remote working and virtual meetings to step into.
Stantec, Endeavour Mining and BlackBerry ride new wave of IR Magazine Canada Top 50 entrants
Just under half of the companies in this year’s IR Magazine Canada Top 50 are new entrants, with 23 companies included in the list that did not feature in the top 50 for 2021. The highest new entrant is Stantec in eighth place, while four other companies that were outside the top 50 last year feature in the top 20 highest-placed companies this year – Brookfield Asset Management, Finning International, Endeavour Mining and BlackBerry.
Investors expect senior management pay to be linked to ESG
Three in four investors expect senior management pay to be linked to ESG, according to the latest report on executive compensation by IR Magazine. But it is a practice that only a minority of companies undertake, with just 46 percent of boards linking executive pay to ESG metrics. Linking pay to ESG is least common in North America, where just over a quarter of companies do so.
Investors express importance of live remarks in earnings calls in new research
More than seven in 10 investors believe it is important for prepared remarks to be given live during earnings calls and not be pre-recorded, according to the latest research report from IR Magazine. This includes more than a third of investors that view this as very important, while fewer than two in 10 see live remarks as either slightly or not at all important.
Highest-paying companies fuel gender gap in IR
Men are twice as likely as women to be IR heads in North America, according to IR Magazine’s latest Global Salary & Careers report. While the gender split for North American IR teams is an average of 55 percent male to 45 percent female, for heads of the team it is two thirds men, one third women. This glass ceiling in North American IR not only drives the global imbalance in gender seniority but may also provide some explanation for the global gender pay gap.
Most companies update crisis plans in light of Covid-19, finds research
Jan 12, 2022 IR Magazine polls more than 250 IROs on crisis communications The majority of IR professionals say their company has updated its crisis management plan in light of the Covid-19 outbreak, according to new research from IR Magazine. At companies with a formal plan in place, seven out of 10 say the playbook has been updated with the pandemic’s challenges in mind.
IR budgets remain stable through Covid-19
Global IR budgets stand at an average of $335,000 in 2021, according to the latest IR Magazine Global Practice Report. This represents a 2 percent increase on last year’s figure of $329,000 and a stabilisation of budgets following a fall of 16 percent in 2020. While the drop in IR budgets at the start of the pandemic was dramatic, it was also part of a long-term trend.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch tops list for virtual roadshows as brokers adapt to Covid-19 restrictions
Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofAML) is the most-used broker for virtual roadshows, according to the 12th annual Global Roadshow Report from IR Magazine. It not only tops the list globally, but also shares pole position in the rankings across each of the key regions of North America, Europe and Asia. JPMorgan Chase, Citi and Morgan Stanley are the next most-used brokers after BofAML globally.
Research report: IR and Multimedia
Multimedia is increasingly used in IR communications as investor relations practitioners look for diverse and innovative ways of informing investors and getting their company message across but... What multimedia formats do IR practitioners use? How useful do they find them? What are the trends in their use? What are the benefits and what are the challenges? How do investors view IR practitioners’ use of multimedia?
Corporate access by the numbers
View corporate access practices broken down by region and market cap The infographic below was taken from the IR Magazine Special Report 1: Corporate Access 2014, the first in a series of special reports being produced by IR Magazine on key investor relations issues.
Research Section: Sell-side analyst coverage
How satisfied are IROs with their coverage? What makes analyst coverage good or bad? What’s the right number of analysts to have? Dealing with sell-side analysts is a vital part of an IRO’s job – yet it is not a fixed part. The relationship consistently changes across time and according to region and company size.
Audio webcasts preferred for IR communications, finds survey
The latest round of the IR Magazine Global IR Survey is currently under way and a look at the responses already in shows a few clear trends emerging. One such trend is the popularity of audio webcasts in IR communications. More than six in 10 of those who have responded to the survey so far use audio on their website, most notably for earnings calls and investor days. More than four fifths of those respondents find their use of audio webcasts either very or extremely useful.
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