2017 has certainly been a year of extreme turmoil
From US president Donald Trump and what he means for the world to Catalonia's attempt to break free of Spain and a government-free Germany, 2017 has had no shortage of upheaval. And there's no reason to think there will be any less change in 2018, whether as a result of more warmongering Twittery, Brexit brouhaha, Iran-Saudi proxy warfare, post-Mugabe Zimbabwe, Mifid II, or women being allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia.
Such events have more or less impact on the day-to-day lives of IROs depending on where they're based, the sectors and economies in which they operate, the culture of their companies - and maybe their gender. That's a reference to the small matter of women in IR, an issue IR Magazine has been addressing with some energy this year. The job is far from done and we shall continue to focus on this in 2018.
Other topics covered in the winter edition of the magazine include Ben Ashwell's look at top 2018 proxy season issues, including climate risk, board diversity and executive compensation; Garnet Roach's investigation of in-house investor perception studies as doing more with less becomes ever-more important; and Andrew Holt's update on the UK's Investor Forum three years after the launch of the stewardship initiative professing the use of 'quiet diplomacy'. Below you can find all of the articles covered in this edition.
Winter 2017 features:
COVER STORY
Head of IR Ashwin Bajaj discusses the Indian mining giant’s path to market redemption with Alexandra Cain.
INVESTOR FEEDBACK
Garnet Roach investigates the pros and cons of tech alternatives to the traditional investor perception study.
PROXY SEASON
Will issuers improve their sustainability disclosures to meet investor demands? Where might activists be more active? Ben Ashwell looks ahead to 2018’s annual meeting season.
REGIONAL FOCUS: NORTH AMERICA
Highlights from recent IR Magazine Think Tanks in Palo Alto and Toronto.
REGIONAL FOCUS: EUROPE
The Investor Forum is proving its worth in UK shareholder-company engagement, as well as in promoting the benefits of long-term investment, finds Andrew Holt.
REGIONAL FOCUS: ASIA-PACIFIC
The mainland China-Hong Kong Stock Connect schemes are picking up steam – and there may be a third market in the works, reports Liana Cafolla.
RESEARCH
The definitive guide to roadshow practices around the world, based on the responses of 750 IR professionals, including rankings of the most-visited cities and the most-used brokers.
CONFERENCES
Highlights from IR Magazine’s recent Women in IR series of events, held in September and October.
Highlights from the inaugural IR Magazine Awards & Conference – Small Cap.
Andrew Holt catches up with Meira chair Alex MacDonald-Vitale to see how the region is evolving from an investor relations perspective.
BUY SIDE
Gill Newton talks positive screening and why the future’s bright for the pest control industry with Royal London Asset Management’s Mike Fox.
Regulars:
CARTOON
Sisters of St Francis of Philadelphia bring the fight against virtual-only AGMs to ConocoPhillips and Comcast.
CAREERS
Candice de Monts-Petit uncovers some advice from IROs who’ve made the move from advisory to in-house – or the other way around.
Chang Rui Hua succeeded Harold Woo in 2015 as head of IR at Singapore-based real estate firm CapitaLand.
TECH TALK
PTTEP’s investor chat room has 87 members – and counting. Garnet Roach reports.
CAPITAL MARKETS
IROs must get to grips with what is now a mainstream investor issue, argues Brad Allen.
ADVICE
Even in the age of algorithms, well-chosen words matter a lot, says James MacGregor.
IR PAPERS
A roundup of academic research from the world of IR studies. By Jeff Cossette.
LAST WORD
Should you take an IR job at a crypto-currency start-up? asks Clare Harrison.
AUDIO ARTICLES
A full list of the IR Magazine winter 2017 audio articles.
