Monthly newsletter features job moves and careers advice
Welcome to IR Magazine's careers newsletter, packed with tools to supercharge your job prospects, including:
• Recent appointments to keep abreast of industry moves
• Career advice from industry experts with inside tips for success
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IR appointments
AMERICAN EQUITY INVESTMENT LIFE HOLDING
The life insurance firm has hired Steven Schwartz as vice president of investor relations. Schwartz holds an MBA from Berkeley and has been working as an equity analyst covering the life insurance and asset management sectors at Raymond James Financial since 2000, having previously served at ABN AMRO (now RBS).
AMTRUST
Chaya Cooperberg, formerly vice president of IR and corporate communications at Progressive Waste Solutions, has been appointed chief communications officer and senior vice president of corporate affairs at the Nasdaq-listed insurance company. The journalism graduate and former Globe and Mail contributor previously held senior IR and communications roles at Descartes Systems and Alderwoods.
ATKORE
Keith Whisenand has joined the NYSE-listed company as vice president of IR. The Northern Illinois University graduate and certified public accountant joins from Univar where he was vice president of finance operations for the US market, having previously held various senior leadership positions at Anixter and Diversey.
ATLANTIC GOLD
The Canadian gold miner has hired Sean Thompson as IR manager. Thomson previously worked in IR at Kaminak Gold, a nominee for IR Magazine’s best IR by a TSX Venture Exchange-listed company award this year. Prior to this, the Dalhousie University MBA alumnus was an IR adviser for mining group Hunter Dickinson.
BMC
Carey Phelps has been appointed IR director for the Atlanta-based, Nasdaq-listed company. She was previously director of IR and corporate communications at Beazer Homes and division vice president of IR and corporate communications at Spectrum Brands. The Georgia State University MBA graduate has also held IR and finance roles at ChoicePoint, Mirant and Georgia Power.
BRUNSWICK
The NYSE-listed conglomerate has promoted Phillip Haan to vice president of IR to replace Bruce Byots, who is retiring. A former adviser at Arthur Andersen and KPMG, Haan joined Brunswick in 2006 and has held senior financial positions including director of financial planning and analysis. He has been managing the firm’s M&A activities since 2014.
CABOT
Steve Delahunt, vice president and corporate treasurer, has seen IR added to his remit. He succeeds Erica McLaughlin, who is moving on to serve as vice president of business operations and general manager of the tire business within the reinforcement materials division. Delahunt joined the Boston-based firm in 2010 after senior financial positions at Sepracor and PerkinElmer.
CEMPRA
The pharmaceutical firm has appointed John Bluth to the newly created position of executive vice president of investor relations and corporate communications. A Cornell University graduate, Bluth has led PR firm Fleishman-Hillard’s West Coast healthcare practice and was most recently head of IR and communications for biotech firms CV Therapeutics and Aviron. Prior to this he held similar positions at Elster Group and PowerSecure.
CN
IRO Paul Butcher has been promoted to succeed Janet Drysdale as Canadian National Railway’s head of IR. An economics graduate of the University of Montreal, Butcher started his career as an economist at Informetrica before joining CN in 1993 to work in financial planning and marketing. He was appointed senior IR manager in 2009. During Drysdale’s mandate, CN was distinguished on multiple occasions at the IR Magazine Awards in Canada, topping the rankings this year and taking home six awards including the large-cap grand prix. The Montreal-based firm has also featured in the Global Top 50 list for the past three years.
Read more here >>
CRESCENT COMMUNITIES
The real estate firm has appointed Sagar Rathie as director of corporate finance and investor relations. Rathie started his career at GlaxoSmithKline before gaining an MBA from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business. He has been working as a senior associate in investment banking at Piper Jaffray since 2013.
EMX CAPITAL STRATEGIES
The emerging markets-focused advisory has appointed Maria Alejandra de la Puente as managing director and head of the Andean region, based in Lima, Peru. An MBA graduate of the University of Alberta and a former investment banker in Peru and Canada, de la Puente recently served as strategic corporate finance adviser to Maple Resources Dallas.
FBN HOLDINGS
Deputy head Tolulope Oluwole is stepping up to succeed IR head of three years Oluyemi Lanre-Phillips, who is leaving FBN, the holding company for First Bank of Nigeria.
HIGHPOWER
The Nasdaq-listed manufacturer of rechargeable batteries has appointed Yuanmei Ma as IR manager. Ma was most recently a partner at Beijing-based asset management firm Shangdong Runwo Investment and has previously served as CFO for three separate public and private companies based in China from 2005 to 2013.
LILIS ENERGY
Joe Pawelek, formerly associate and head of business development at Brushy Resources, has been appointed vice president of corporate finance and IR for Denver-based Lilis Energy. The University of Texas MBA alumnus had an early career in the US National Football League as a linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
NEWCASTLE GOLD
Susan Muir, formerly vice president of investor communications at Barrick Gold, has been hired by TSX Venture Exchange-listed NewCastle Gold to serve as vice president of IR and corporate communications. The Concordia University graduate had an early career in equity research covering the precious metals sector at Scotiabank and First National.
PRAXAIR
IR director of six years Kelcey Hoyt is moving on to serve as vice president and controller, with Juan Pelaez stepping up to succeed her. Pelaez joined the industrial gas producer in 2000 from G2 Seismic in Bogota, Colombia and since 2011 was vice president of finance for Praxair Mexico.
Read more here >>
SARATOGA PROXY CONSULTING
Saratoga Proxy Consulting, a new investor advisory services firm, has been launched in New York. Partners Joe Mills,John Ferguson and Ann Marie Mellone are veterans of the proxy advisory and solicitation industry and were most recently working at Morrow.
Career advice
IR in drive for better internal communication
Internal communication and networks are simple yet fundamental factors in successful IR
Read more >>
The joys and pains of the small-cap IRO
IR professionals will need as much curiosity and social skill as financial knowledge to succeed at a smaller firm – but beware the pigeonhole
Read more >>
Candice de Monts-Petit
Candice de Monts-Petit joined IR Magazine as a senior editor in 2012. Prior to this, she worked in investor relations, first as an IRO for oil and gas firms in Paris and Moscow and subsequently as an IR consultant in London. She graduated in business...
