Global Top 10: Iberdrola on treating investors like clients

Global Top 50 rank: 5

Euro Top 100 rank in 2015: 3

IR Magazine Awards won in 2015: 3

IR team size: 8

Another new name in the 2015 Global Top 10 is Spanish utilities giant Iberdrola, which has also been creeping up the Europe rankings. Three years ago the Madrid-listed firm placed 23rd; it climbed to number seven in 2014 and rose again to third place in 2015’s Euro Top 100.

There are several things that set Iberdrola apart for analysts and investors, including its use of technology – something for which it won an IR Magazine Award in 2015. The team has an IRO dedicated to social media, its own IR app and a web-based investor forum, called On Line Shareholders (OLS), which launched in 2012.

When IR Magazine spoke to head of IR Ignacio Cuenca for a story about the OLS in 2013, we asked him where the idea for it came from. ‘The inspiration comes from our belief in taking care of our shareholders. We want to make their relationship with us easier,’ he said.

That theme continues to dominate Iberdrola’s IR philosophy today. ‘In my opinion, investor relations is a function that works minute by minute, day to day,’ says Cuenca. ‘It is absolutely necessary to build an equity story that is sufficiently robust (but flexible) and able to navigate in all kinds of circumstances and environments.’

He points to a number of areas he credits for the IR team’s success: ‘a first-class team, highly committed top management, and a deep IR culture within the company. It also comes down to a very professional group of investors and analysts covering my company/sector. I think our key advantage is to consider investors and analysts as clients – and the client is always our top priority.’