Round up of June’s IR team news includes new IR heads at Wolters Kluwer and AECOM
State Street
State Street has appointed Valerie Haertel as senior vice president of investor relations. Haertel replaces Kelley MacDonald at the Boston-headquartered financial services firm. MacDonald is retiring after leading the function for more than a decade.
Haertel moves to State Street from Medco Health Solutions, where she was vice president of investor relations for more than five years. During her tenure, Medco featured regularly on IR magazine’s annual best in IR awards shortlists and rankings. Last year the company came second to Covidien in the best IR in the healthcare sector award and it was ranked 17 in the US overall.
Healthcare rival Express Scripts completed its acquisition of Medco in April of this year, earning the company a second place in the best IR for a corporate transaction at the IR Magazine US Awards 2012. Express Scripts is currently ranked 15 in the US Top 100 2012.
Prior to joining Medco, Haertel held IR positions at Alliance Bernstein, RCN Corporation and NASDAQ. ‘Our base of shareholders and analysts has increased significantly over the past few years, and we look forward to Valerie helping to continue executing a comprehensive investor relations program for these key audiences,’ said Edward Resch, CFO of the NYSE-listed State Street, in a press release announcing the appointment. ‘She has strong relationships with both the buy and sell sides and will be an asset as we continue to expand our global investor base.’ State Street is currently unranked by IR magazine.
Wolters Kluwer
Wolters Kluwer has promoted Meg Geldens to the role of vice president of investor relations. Geldens joined the IR team of the information services and publishing company at the beginning of the 2012, following 17 years as a European media analyst at Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Investec and MF Global. Gelden takes over from Jon Teppo, who will be relocating to the US to assume a new global role at the Dutch company, which is quoted on Euronext Amsterdam.
At the IR Magazine Europe Awards 2011, Wolters Kluwer came sixth in the best IR in the media sector and last year ranked joint 355 in Europe overall. This year’s IR Magazine Europe Awards 2012 will take place in London on June 26, 2012. The new rankings will be released shortly thereafter.
AECOM
AECOM has hired Lynn Tyson to be senior vice president of investor relations. She assumes the role from Paul Cyril, senior vice president, financial planning and analysis, who has managed AECOM's IR function for the past two years. Cyril will now focus his full attentions on financial planning and analysis at the global provider of professional technical and management support services.
Tyson’s resume includes a number of high-profile IR positions at PepsiCo, YUM! Brands and Dell. ‘Lynn brings with her a wealth of knowledge and best practices that will strengthen the way we communicate our vision and company story to the investment community,’ said John Dionisio, CEO of AECOM, in a press release announcing the appointment.
The LA-headquartered AECOM is listed on the NYSE and reported revenues of $8.2 bn for the year ending March 2012. AECOM went public in 2007 and has yet to feature in IR magazine’s awards and rankings.
Harsco
Eugene Truett will retire as vice president of investor relations and credit at Harsco in September. His replacement at the global industrial services and engineered products company is set to be announced in the summer.
Truett has nearly 30 years of service in the investor relations profession and has led Harsco's IR efforts since 1995. The company, headquartered in Pennsylvania and listed on the NYSE, was most recently ranked by IR magazine in 2010, when it placed 85 in the US overall. That same year, the company came sixth in the best IRO in the mid-cap category at the IR Magazine US Awards 2010.
‘After 45 years in business and almost three decades in IR, my esteem has never been higher for the countless buy-side and sell-side professionals and close colleagues with whom I have worked on Harsco's behalf,’ said Truett in a statement put out by the company. ‘I look forward to retirement knowing that transparency, credibility and accessibility will continue to be fundamental to the Harsco way, just as it has been with me.’
Black Hills
Lynn Wilson has stepped down as senior vice president of communications and investor relations at Black Hills, after nearly 15 years at the utility company based in South Dakota. The IR function at the NYSE-listed company has subsequently become a part of the treasury department, so Jerome Nichols, director of investor relations, now reports to Brian Iverson, vice president - treasurer.
The change ‘consolidates the management of relationships with the investment community and provides closer coordination of investment and banking relationships,’ according to the company press release. Black Hills is ranked joint 287 in IR magazine’s US rankings 2012 and came joint 228 the year before.
