Snapshot summaries of the winners of the IR Magazine Awards – Brazil 2013
Kroton Educacional made its debut with one award at the IR Magazine Awards – Brazil in 2011; it returned last year to snatch six. This year it swept the results again, with eight nominations and four wins at the gala awards event in São Paulo on July 3. Kroton also occupies the number one spot in the first ever IR Magazine Brazil Top 30, a league table of the best overall IR programs at Brazilian companies.
Close behind at number two is Itaú Unibanco, which represents the old guard. The financial giant added four awards to its sizable collection from years past, which includes three grand prix awards for best overall IR. The awards, as always, were a celebration, although this year’s event was also bittersweet, as the crowd of around 300 remembered Silvio Guerra, last year’s best IRO whose firm also won the large-cap grand prix, who died in November last year.
Unveiling the Top 30
The Brazil Top 30 rounds out IR Magazine’s worldwide rankings, which include the US Top 100, Canada Top 50, Asia Top 50 and Euro Top 100. The aim of these rankings is to recognize companies that perform well overall, including those that may not win a particular award – such as Localiza, OdontoPrev or Lojas Renner.
The award winners and Top 30 companies are based on the annual survey of Brazilian investors and analysts by the research unit of Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), Instituto Brasileiro de Economia, which was commissioned by IR Magazine in partnership with Revista RI and with the support of IBRI, Brazil’s IR society.
This ninth annual study, conducted in April and May of this year, gathered responses from more than 170 members of the investment community, including buy-side and sell-side analysts, and portfolio managers. For the category of best IR for individual investors, FGV also surveyed more than 200 individual investors.
 Carlos Lazar, IRO, Kroton Educacional |
Kroton Educacional
4 awards, 8 short lists
Rank: 1
Awards won
Grand prix for best overall investor relations – large cap
Best investor relations officer – large cap (Carlos Lazar)
Best investor relations by a CEO or CFO (Rodrigo Galindo)
Best in sector – consumer cyclical
Also short-listed for
Best investor relations website – large cap
Best investment community meetings – large cap
Best conference call
Most progress in investor relations – large cap
What the investment community says
‘The company is very transparent and proactive in detailing its results, and always uses best practices compared with the competition’
Fast fact
Since last year when it won the small-cap grand prix, Kroton has surpassed the R$3 bn ($1.3 bn) mark and now competes among the large caps – a feat matched by other past small-cap winners OdontoPrev, Lojas Renner and EZTEC, perhaps showing a correlation between IR performance and strong growth
 Geraldo Soares, head of IR, Itaú Unibanco |
Itaú Unibanco
4 awards, 6 short lists
Rank: 2
Awards won
Best annual report
Best investment community meetings – large cap
Best conference call
Best in sector – financials
Also short-listed for
Best investor relations website – large cap
Best corporate sustainability
What the investment community says
‘Itaú Unibanco’s annual report is fairly complete, comprehensive and detailed. It addresses issues of credit behavior, which is crucial for banks, and details key events’
Fast fact
With a head count of 30, Itaú Unibanco’s investor relations team may well be the world’s largest. That’s because Rogério Calderón, the bank’s IR chief, is also the bank’s corporate controller
Natura Cosmeticos
2 awards, 4 short lists
Rank: 3
Awards won
Best corporate sustainability
Best in sector – consumer non-cyclical
Also short-listed for
Best corporate governance
Best annual report
What the investment community says
‘The company combines growth, profitability and generating income for investors with positive impact on the Amazonian communities producing its raw ingredients’
Fast fact
Natura has won the sustainability award every year since it was introduced in 2007
Ultrapar
2 awards, 3 short lists
Rank: 5
Awards won
Best corporate governance
Best in sector – energy
Also short-listed for
Best conference call
What the investment community says
‘The CEO succession was done in a structured way by demonstrating the commitment of the company to its minority shareholders’ [Ultrapar announced in May 2012 that Thilo Mannhardt would take over as CEO from Pedro Wongtschowski in January 2013]
Fast fact
Although Ultrapar has been nominated several times in the past, 2013 marks its first win at the IR Magazine Awards – Brazil
Cosan
1 award, 6 short lists
Rank: 6
Awards won
Most progress in investor relations – large cap
Also short-listed for
Grand prix for best overall investor relations – large cap
Best investor relations officer – large cap (Guilherme Machado)
Best investor relations by a CEO or CFO (Marcelo Martins)
Best investment community meetings – large cap
Best conference call
What the investment community says
‘I’m a big fan of Cosan Day, which includes brief and objective presentations on each of the segments in which the company operates, plus questions and answers’
Fast fact
Cosan was nominated twice for an IR Magazine Award in 2012 and six times in 2013 – in itself a sign of progress
Randon
3 awards, 5 short lists
Rank: 19
Awards won
Best investor relations website – small & mid-cap
Best investment community meetings – small & mid-cap
Best in sector – industrials
Also short-listed for
Grand prix for best overall investor relations – small & mid-cap
Best investor relations officer – small & mid-cap (Hemerson Fernando de Souza)
What the investment community says
Randon’s IR team and senior management show ‘transparency and sincerity when talking about the company. They’re always very honest, on the positive or negative, which is rare in the industry in general’
Fast fact
Randon was nominated for five awards in 2012 and five in 2013
Minerva
1 award, 5 short lists
Rank: 23
Awards won
Most progress in investor relations – small & mid-cap
Also short-listed for
Grand prix for best overall investor relations – small & mid-cap
Best investor relations officer – small & mid-cap (Eduardo Puzziello)
Best investor relations website – small & mid-cap
Best investment community meetings – small & mid-cap
What the investment community says
‘The amount of information available, industry knowledge and accessibility to investors became more evident [over the past year]’
Fast fact
Puzziello is a former sell-side analyst, having worked at the likes of Banco Santander and Raymond James
IMC Holdings
1 award, 3 short lists
Unranked
Awards won
Best investor relations officer – small & mid-cap (Neil Amereno)
Also short-listed for
Grand prix for best overall investor relations – small & mid-cap
Most progress in investor relations – small & mid-cap
What the investment community says
Neil Amereno’s ‘knowledge of the company is well above average, and he provides clear explanation of a complicated business’
Fast fact
This restaurant chain went public in May 2011
Eternit
1 award, 2 short lists
Unranked
Awards won
Best investor relations for individual investors – small & mid-cap
Also short-listed for
Best investor relations website – small & mid-cap
What the investment community says
‘Eternit presents clear, easily available earnings announcements and responds quickly to investors, clarifying the issues and challenges it faces’
Fast fact
Eternit has won this award three years in a row – every year since it was introduced, in fact
