Home improvement retailer wins three times, while Raghnall Craighead honored with award for significant contribution to IR
Kingfisher soared above its peers at the IR Society Best Practice Awards last night, taking home three prizes including best investor relations officer for Sarah Levy and best overall company IR.
Xstrata and BASF also did well, claiming two gongs each, while Raghnall Craighead received the Fellowship Award for his work on the society's IR qualification.
Held in a marquee beside the imposing Tower of London, the awards saw around 450 members of the IR community gather for drinks, food, entertainment and, of course, prize giving.
After a drinks reception and dinner, the night’s host – former Conservative politician Michael Portillo – took to the stage and offered up a series of gags about his bumpy political career, among other topics. He then announced the winners.
Xstrata and BASF both performed strongly in the corporate reporting section of the awards. The mining giant picked up most effective overall annual report in the FTSE 100, along with a second prize for corporate responsibility reporting.
BASF took home most effective annual report by an international company and best use of social media tools to support IR communications.
The IR Society’s awards have traditionally focused on reporting, but this year the association introduced six new prizes for achievement in IR by companies and individuals.
Unlike the reporting awards, which are decided by a panel of judges, the new awards are based on a survey of IROs, analysts and fund managers. Kingfisher won all three of its awards in the voted categories.
Arguably the greatest honor of the night was reserved for Craighead. He took home the Fellowship Award – handed out for significant contribution to the development of the IR profession – in recognition of his work on the society’s Certificate of IR (CIR) program.
After starting life in the UK, the CIR program now also runs in Malaysia, Russia and Hong Kong.
‘Raghnall has been a major driving force behind the success of the Certificate in Investor Relations and a longstanding chairman of the examinations board of the IR Society – delivering demonstrable enhancement to both IR as a profession and the society as a whole,’ comments society chairman John Dawson in a statement.
‘The certificate has reinforced the position of the UK and the IR Society as a standard setter in IR.’
British Land came into the awards in a strong position, having picked up five nominations, more than any other company. It left with just one award, however, claiming best corporate website in the FTSE 100 for the second year in a row.
A full list of winners and nominees can be found on the IR Society's website.
