IR Magazine

The Global IR Forum 2020
Global best practice, regional outlook and sector-specific discussions

Tuesday, October 6, 2020 - Thursday, October 8, 2020

Virtual

About The Global IR Forum

The Global IR Forum brought together investor relations officers from different sectors, markets and regions to learn how to adapt their IR program at a time when markets are rapidly evolving and shareholder bases are changing. During our three-day forum we held over 30 sessions and brought together over 350 attendees across 39 countries.

WHAT WAS NEW FOR 2020?

Unique to challenges in your sector: Economic downturns impact sectors in different ways and on different timescales. Our sector-specific discussions allowed attendees to learn from peers, understand analyst outlook on the future risks and opportunities, benchmark their IR performance and discover what makes investors select one company over another in the same sector.

Flexible and personalized: Aligned with global time zones and providing access to more than 35 sessions, attendees had the choice to engage with the most relevant topics at the time that suited their working day.

Global and interactive: Attendees took advantage of the chance to interact with investor relations officers and investors from across the globe through breakout discussions and live video conversations as part of the largest virtual gathering of international IR professionals.

Sector-specific discussions

The global pandemic has accelerated digitalization, increased awareness on health practices and had a significant impact on the global economy. The nature of your industry and how it reacts to macro cycles presents unique challenges for your business and investor base. This year, the Global IR Forum featured sector-focused sessions, so whether you’re managing risk or maximizing opportunity you can hear from leading heads of IR at public companies, investors and analysts in the following sectors:

 

Agenda

More than 30 sessions across three days covered everything you need to know about investor relations in 2020 and beyond.

Click here to view the agenda as a PDF

  • 07:00 AM
    Spotlight on Asia Pacific: Outlook for markets and investor relations

    This session will examine how regional and international investors are interpreting political risk and trade tensions in the Asia Pacific markets and how IR teams can capitalize on the reduced need for in-person roadshows.

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Camilla Ayling, Equity analyst, Legal and General Investment Management
    Jessica Jook, Chief strategy officer and vice president for group investor relations, Canvest Environmental Protection Group
    Simon Weston, Fund manager, AXA Investment Management
    Joshua Lee, Senior portfolio manager, Bank of Singapore

  • 08:00 AM
    Networking break

  • 08:30 AM
    Investor relations in the Technology, Media and Telecoms sector

    Outlook for the sector, a view from the top and operational excellence in IR

    IR in Technology, Media and Telecoms: Outlook for the sector, a view from the top and operational excellence in IR

    In this session, you will hear a CFO’s perspective on the outlook for the TMT sector, understand her views on the value of investor relations and discuss operational excellence in investor relations.

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Inger Folkeson, Chief financial officer, Digi

  • 09:15 AM
    IR in the basic materials sector: Communication and compensation in commodities

    Communication and compensation in commodities

    IROs in commodities are facing price volatility in the face of plunges in demand, as well as raw material risk during periods of supply chain disruption.

    During the basic materials session, we examine the future of commodities with the scale of passive investments in the sector, and discuss how IR can communicate about employee safety, raw material sustainability and remuneration.

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Yulia Chekunaeva, Director of capital markets and strategic initiatives, EN+ Group
    Eline Hilal, Director of investor relations, insurance and corporate secretary, Aluminium Bahrain

  • 10:00 AM
    Expo break

  • 11:00 AM
    Spotlight on EMEA: Outlook for markets and investor relations

    This session aims to provide insight into the speed and magnitude of the recession and consequent recovery, specifically looking at how interest rates impact debt and equity markets and the issues impacting fund flows in the EMEA region.

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Rosanna Burcheri, Fund manager, Artemis Funds
    Shaunak Mazumder, Global equities portfolio manager, Legal and General Investment Management
    Martin Ziegenbalg, Executive vice president and head of investor relations, Deutsche Post DHL Group

  • 12:00 PM
    Networking break

  • 12:30 PM
    Investor relations in the Consumer Cyclical sector

    Adapting messaging for a cyclical investor base

    Discuss how to balance the long-term and short-term dynamics in your messaging to attract value investors but maintain trust with growth and GARP investors.

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Kristin Kohler, Global head of investor relations, Dufry
    Lili Huang, Vice president of investor relations, NagaCorp

  • 13:15 PM
    IR in the utilities sector

    In conversation with award winning Utilities IROs

    Join this session to hear interviews with the utilities sector award winners from the 2020 IR Magazine Awards in Europe and the US. Award winners will discuss the impact of Covid-19 on the sector and how they ran their investor relations programs during these past 6-months.

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Monica Girardi, Head of group investor relations, Enel
    Sri Maddipati, Vice president of investor relations, CMS Energy

  • 14:00 PM
    Expo Break

  • 15:00 PM
    Spotlight on the Americas: Outlook for markets and investor relations

    In this session, which examines the key points for investor relations and capital markets in the Americas we examine the impact that the US election is likely to have on the region and discuss the future of equity markets given the rise of alternative sources of funding for companies.

    Moderator: Ben Ashwell, editor, IR Magazine
    Mike Coffey, Vice president of strategy, Q4
    Aaron Howald, Head of investor relations, Louisiana Pacific Corporation
    Michael Spencer, General manager of investor relations, Microsoft

  • 16:00 PM
    Networking break

  • 16:30 PM
    Investor relations in the Financial sector

    Social responsibility and shareholder requirements after the pandemic

    Understand the buyside’s concerns and perspective on the sector and how to communicate with your shareholders during tough times.

    At a time when financial services firms need to find the delicate balance between financial health and shareholder returns we look at how IR teams can manage expectations with their shareholders and broaden their investor base by engaging and reporting around material ESG issues in the finance sector.

    Moderator: Ben Ashwell, editor, IR Magazine
    Brooke Carillo, Head of strategy and corporate development, Annaly
    Chad Reed, Head of investor relations, Hannon Armstrong

  • 17:15 PM
    Investor relations in the Healthcare sector

    Build credibility and understand how healthcare policies will impact IR

    The global pandemic has had a significant impact on health policies and the healthcare sector globally. During this session we look at what IR can do to build management’s credibility with investors at a time of increased interest.

    We examine how IR teams can help onboard new investors that may need bringing up to speed on the scientific details of the businesses and examine what lies ahead for M&A activity in the sector.

    Moderator: Ben Ashwell, editor, IR Magazine
    Myesha Lacy, Vice president of investor relations and corporate communication, Adverum

  • 18:00 PM
    End of day 1

  • 07:00 AM
    Rethinking IR budgets

    Re-assign or reduce?

    The reduction in travel has saved many companies a large proportion of their IR budget, but there is still pressure on companies to look for efficiencies in how they operate. Join the debate around how IR budgets should look in the short and medium-term, and which areas need to be prioritized.

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Saravanan Desigamanie, Head of strategy and communications, Malakoff
    David Nicol, Executive vice president and chief financial officer, Metro Pacific Investments

  • 08:00 AM
    Networking break

  • 08:30 AM
    [Interactive session] Remote working and reporting in 2020: How to pandemic-proof your reporting processes

    Social distancing policies have disrupted how we collaborate, communicate and how we report. If the work-from-home trend continues throughout the next reporting cycles, changes need to be made to your processes to maintain quality reporting. Join this interactive session to share views and opinions on:

    • Your top reporting challenges resulting from remote working and the pandemic
    • How to collaborate around reporting, while ensuring the security of information while your teams are separated
    • Protecting your team’s mental health with the intense workload during the reporting period

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor, IR Magazine
    Richard Fosbury, Client relations, CtrlPrint
    Luke Newton, Client relations, CtrlPrint

  • 09:15 AM
    Covid-19 and climate: Lessons learned from the pandemic that you can apply to your whole ESG program

    The pandemic has bought into focus social and human capital however climate action is still a big factor for investor engagement and decision making. In this session we discuss how to balance the focus on ESG challenges that relate directly to the pandemic with other material issues.

    In this session we also look to discuss how the pandemic has highlighted changes that IR teams can make to their systems and processes for a more robust ESG program as we head into 2021.

    Moderator: Steven Wade, Head of event content, IR Magazine
    Marco Masip, Head of ESG investors, Telefonica

  • 10:00 AM
    Expo break

  • 11:00 AM
    How will Mifid II and Covid-19 change the nature of corporate access?

    Mifid II focused attentions on the cost of corporate access and Covid-19 opened eyes to the expanded reach of virtual meetings, but how will access to management evolve?

    During this session we look at how to manage investors’ increased expectation around the availability of management and examine how to improve engagement during virtual group meetings. Finally, this session will provide advice on how to start new relationships over a virtual setting at a time when investor bases are in flux.

    Moderator: Wim Allegaert, Chair, BelIR
    Victor Drozdov, Director of business communications and head of investor relations, Polyus
    Patrick Kofler, Head of investor relations, Zalando

  • 12:00 PM
    Networking break

  • 12:30 PM
    Investor relations in the Financial sector

    Social responsibility and shareholder requirements after the pandemic

    Understand the buyside’s concerns and perspective on the sector and how to communicate with your shareholders during tough times.

    At a time when financial services firms need to find the delicate balance between financial health and shareholder returns we look at how IR teams can manage expectations with their shareholders and broaden their investor base by engaging and reporting around material ESG issues in the finance sector.

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Rob Gurner, Head of investor relations, Plus500
    Richard O’Connor, Global head of investor relations, HSBC

  • 13:15 PM
    Investor relations in the Consumer Non-cyclical sector

    Managing short-horizon investors and showcasing the tangible digitally

    Discuss the best way to showcase tangible products and operations for investors in a virtual setting.

    Learn how the accelerated shift to e-commerce and changes in consumer behavior have changed investor thinking on consumer staples and what IR can do to manage an increased focus in the sector from short-horizon investors.

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Phil Terpolilli, Director of investor relations, Presitge consumer healthcare

  • 14:00 PM
    Expo break

  • 15:00 PM
    What’s the best way to engage new investors these days?

    Targeting is significantly more crucial and difficult during periods of disruption, both to markets and the IR meeting schedule.

    During this session we examine the best ways to build new relationships remotely. We will specifically advise on the best ways to use alternative methods of engaging with investors and how to change your messaging and approach in a bid to enhance visibility.

    Ben Ashwell, editor, IR Magazine
    Michael Becker, Executive vice president of strategic partnerships and initiatives, Business Wire
    Mark Kinarney, Senior director of investor relations, Lantheus Medical Imaging
    Clare-Marie Hill, Corporate access, Fidelity Investments

  • 16:00 PM
    Networking break

  • 16:30 PM
    Investor relations in the Technology, Media and Telecoms sector

    Educating generalist investors and demonstrating your human capital efforts

    The global pandemic and subsequent government advice has accelerated many of the trends in accelerating growth in TMT. As a result, there has been an increase of generalist investors in the space and IR teams need to adapt their messaging accordingly. This is happening at a time when human capital, a key asset for technology firms, is gaining focus from society and investors alike.

    This session will discuss the necessary changes IROs should make in their investor engagement, messaging and ESG reporting as a result.

    Moderator: Ben Ashwell, editor, IR Magazine
    Elena Rosman, Vice president of investor relations, Aptiv
    Lucy Rutishauser, Executive vice president and chief financial officer, Sinclair Broadcast Group

  • 17:15 PM
    Investor relations in the Energy sector

    How has covid-19 affected the energy sector, investor engagement and the energy transition?

    In this session we will look into the challenges that the energy sector has faced this year and learn how companies can create better liquidity and improve their access to capital through their investor relations efforts.

    Hear about how companies and investors are communicating during turbulent and socially distant times.

    We will discuss the impact that the oil price has had on energy companies and investors in the sector and look into how the energy transition and ESG engagement have evolved as a result of the macro environment in 2020.

    Moderator: Ben Ashwell, editor, IR Magazine
    Sean Brown, Chief financial officer, Gibson Energy
    Brian Rice, Investment officer, CalSTRS

  • 18:00 PM
    End of day 2

  • 07:00 AM
    Active vs. passive in the coronavirus context

    Will Covid-19 result in a snap-back to active management, or will the trend to passive continue?

    During this session we debate the impact that Covid-19 has had on market structure and the future of passive investing.

    We will also explore how IR can manage their passive investor base going forward, including looking at the governance efforts as passive investors apply more pressure on ESG and what IR teams can do if they are suddenly included or excluded from an index.

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Michael Green, Partner chief strategist and portfolio manager, Logica Funds
    Henrik von Lukowicz, Senior investor relations manager, Befesa

  • 08:00 AM
    Networking break

  • 08:30 AM
    Investor relations in the Consumer Non-cyclical sector

    Managing short-horizon investors and showcasing the tangible digitally

    Discuss the best way to showcase tangible products and operations for investors in a virtual setting.

    Learn how the accelerated shift to e-commerce and changes in consumer behavior have changed investor thinking on consumer staples and what IR can do to manage an increased focus in the sector from short-horizon investors.

    Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    David Akers, Head of investor relations, The a2 Milk Company

  • 09:15 AM
    Investor relations in the Financial sector

    Social responsibility and shareholder requirements after the pandemic

    Understand the buyside’s concerns and perspective on the sector and how to communicate with your shareholders during tough times.

    At a time when financial services firms need to find the delicate balance between financial health and shareholder returns we look at how IR teams can manage expectations with their shareholders and broaden their investor base by engaging and reporting around material ESG issues in the finance sector.

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Walid Mourad, Director portfolio manager and analyst, Lazard Gulf

  • 10:00 AM
    Expo break

  • 11:00 AM
    How to meet and manage investor expectations: A live investor Q&A

    Back by popular demand, Lorenzo Crispoltoni will be sharing his views about how public companies can better help investors make informed decisions and will be answering all of your questions on the big issues of the day.

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Lorenzo Crispoltoni, Head of equity and alternative investments, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo

  • 11:30 AM
    A view from the top: Talking business trends and the investor narrative with Voya’s Chief Financial Officer

    A CFO plays a lead role in making a company’s strategy and performance clear to a multitude of external stakeholders, including shareholders and buy and sell-side analysts. To get a perspective into how the CFO viewpoint can help guide the company and its investor narrative – particularly in times when economic and other trends are impacting businesses around the globe – we sit down with Mike Smith to learn more about his perspective on all of this and how IR plays an important role in fostering strong external relationships.

    Moderator: Ben Ashwell, editor, IR Magazine
    Mike Smith, Chief financial officer and interim chief risk officer, Voya Financial

  • 12:00 PM
    Networking break

  • 12:30 PM
    Investor relations in the Industrials sector

    Storytelling, Sustainability & Supply chains

    With the Covid-19-driven economic slowdown, many industrials firms will be adversely affected by halted activities and lower commercial usage.

    Regain comfort in the industry by learning how to communicate around supply chain resilience and operational risk, and understand how the influx of passive investors in the sector impacts your IR and ESG program.

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Adam Borgatti, Senior vice president of corporate development and investor relations, Aecon

  • 13:15 PM
    Investor relations in the Healthcare sector

    Build credibility and understand how healthcare policies will impact IR

    The global pandemic has had a significant impact on health policies and the healthcare sector globally. During this session we look at what IR can do to build management’s credibility with investors at a time of increased interest.

    We examine how IR teams can help onboard new investors that may need bringing up to speed on the scientific details of the businesses and examine what lies ahead for M&A activity in the sector.

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Josie Afolabi, Director of investor relations, AstraZeneca
    Andrew Swift, Head of investor relations, Smith-Nephew
    Tom Waldron, Director of investor relations, AstraZeneca

  • 14:00 PM
    Expo break

  • 15:00 PM
    How issuers and investors are applying new technologies

    How is technology changing investing and investor relations?

    There has been much talk around how the buyside are developing artificial intelligence to assist investment decisions and how that would impact the role of IR.

    Technology is also making the stock market more accessible for retail investors, and we have recently seen a rising trend of retail investors.

    We debate whether the application of these technologies are going to have an impact on investor relations in the next decade and ask if IR teams are at risk of falling behind in terms of their technology use.

    Moderator: Gary LaBranche, President and CEO, National Investor Relations Institute
    John Londono, Vice president of technology for issuer solutions, IHS Markit
    Greg Secord, Vice president of investor relations, OpenText
    Vladimir Zluzhsky, Head of communications and investor relations, Severstal

  • 16:00 PM
    Networking break

  • 16:30 PM
    Investor relations in the Consumer Cyclical sector

    Adapting messaging for a cyclical investor base

    IR in the consumer cyclical sector: Adapting messaging for a cyclical investor base

    Discuss how to balance the long-term and short-term dynamics in your messaging to attract value investors but maintain trust with growth and GARP investors.

    Moderator: Ben Ashwell, editor, IR Magazine
    Debbie Hancock, Senior vice president of investor relations, Hasbro
    Lori Keith, Portfolio manager and director of research, Parnassus Investments

  • 17:15 PM
    The newly emerging IRO: Predictions for 2021 and beyond

    In our final session, we look to take stock of the changes in 2020, how permanently it will affect the IR profession and what lessons can be learned. We then look to the year ahead and review the skills required and challenges facing IROs over the coming 12 months.

    Smooch Repovich Reynolds, Managing director and partner, ZRG Partners

  • 17:30 PM
    End of conference

Attendees

Over 2,150 investor relations professionals from 33+ countries have engaged with our virtual events to date in 2020. Below is a snapshot of who attends our virtual events.

This year’s attendees included:

Attendees are senior-level IR practitioners from across the globe. Each participant is someone with an established track record and a strategic IR role within his or her company. We had over 350 IR professionals attend this year.

Job title Company Job title Company
Associate vice president, IR Canadian Tire Corporation Head of IR Deutsche EuroShop
Chief IR officer Grenergy Renovables Head of IR Dogus Otomotiv
Director of finance & investor relations Semtech Corporation Head of IR IG Group
Director of investor relations AstraZeneca Head, investor relations PETRONAS Gas Berhad
Director of investor relations Prestige Consumer Healthcare IR director 3SBio
Director of investor relations Virtu Investments IR director Sabancı Holding
Director, investor relations Atara Bio IR director UNIMOT
Director, investor relations Cheniere Energy Managing director, head of investor relations Annaly
Director, investor relations Flex Senior director IR ASM International
Director, investor relations HP Senior director IR & corporate affairs DCP Midstream
Director, investor relations Indeed Senior director of investor relations Lantheus Medical Imaging
Director, investor relations Olin Corporation Senior vice president of investor relations Hasbro
Director, investor relations PNM Resources Senior vice president, investor relations Eaton
Director, investor relations TC Transcontinental SVP corporate communications and IR Thule Group
Director, investor relations Trimble SVP IR Wyndham Destinations
Director, IR Universal Display Corporation SVP, IR Constellation Brands
EVP, investor relations Sagicor Financial Company Vice president investor relations Fresh Del Monte Produce
Executive vice president and head of investor relations Deutsche Post DHL Group Vice president of investor relations Aptiv
Global head of investor relations Dufry Vice president of investor relations Berli Jucker
Global head of investor relations HSBC Holdings Vice president of investor relations CMS Energy
Head IR & sustainability Cembra Vice president of investor relations NagaCorp
Head of communications and investor relations Severstal Vice president of investor relations Opentext
Head of group investor relations Enel Vice president-strategic planning and investor relations Indorama Ventures
Head of investor relations AllianceBernstein VP head of investor relations Nexans
Head of investor relations Hannon Armstrong VP investor relations e.l.f. Beauty
Head of investor relations Louisiana Pacific Corporation VP IR JBT Corporation
Head of investor relations Plus500 VP of IR Recruit Holdings
Head of investor relations SES VP, investor relations G-iii Apparel Group
Head of investor relations Smith-Nephew VP, investor relations & market analytics KLA
Head of investor relations The a2 Milk Company VP, IR Henry Schein
Head of investor relations Zalando VP, strategy, planning & investor relations Gibson Energy
Head of investor relations and business development KLCC Property Holdings Berhad VP-investor relations Wabtec

 

Request attendee list

Speakers

Our most senior speaker line-up to date shared expert opinions from across the global capital markets


Attendees say

"I thought it was an excellent event – very insightful content and a great mix of speakers and panels. "

Plus 500

"broad range of topics and speakers and ease of access because it was virtual"

Universal Display Corporation

"The summary slide during the moderator's close out was perfect -clear takeaways."

Vencapital

"Firstly congratulations to IR Mag on organizing such a fantastic event….enjoyed most of the sessions which I was able to watch and amazing content and discussions. Well done!"

KLCC

"Congratulations to Team IR Magazine for a fantastic Global IR Forum 2020. Better than expected! Most impressed with the seamless transmission of each session!
You guys have set the benchmark so high, it's almost impossible for others to outdo you. Great panel of speakers from diverse industries. Worth sacrificing my beauty sleep and staying up for!"

AetriaHealth

"Hopin was great. Really had the virtual feel of an in person conference."

llumina

"Easy access to link to event and to ask questions."

ESG Verification

"Platform has become stable and reliable."

Q4

Regional outlook

Different governments have approached the Covid-19 crisis in contrasting ways, and the speed at which restrictions have been easing is equally different. This creates a variety of scenarios for business, regulators and investors alike. The Global IR Forum was structured to focus on the most relevant challenges facing investor relations in your region. We covered the following regions throughout the forum:

Our global partners

Become a partner

The Global IR Forum brings together some of the most influential people in the international investor relations community at a time of great change for the profession. The unique content and interaction created at our virtual events afford our partners exceptional opportunities to engage with a global audience of IR professionals on a subject that reflects their expertise.

Becoming a partner means you will:

  • Showcase your knowledge in your chosen topic, region or sector
  • Keep your finger on the pulse using the interactive element to understand how priorities are changing for IR Officers
  • Generate qualified leads by speaking to people that are most interested in your session
  • Build relationships with a global audience through our virtual, interactive and global format.
  • Launch new products and solutions using your virtual expo booth
  • Build relationships with new customers by participating in one-on-one video meetings
  • Measure your ROI through advanced analytics on engagement and exposure
  • Increase brand awareness and gain credibility through association with the global gathering of investor relations professionals.

All our partnerships are created using a mix of branding, thought leadership, lead generation and meetings with your target audience. You tell us your objectives and we will work with you to tailor a package based on your requirements.

To find out more about how we can help, contact  Sebastien Dutrieu or call on +44 77315 33165.

NIRI IRC® CREDENTIAL

Holders of the NIRI IRC® credential can earn up to 4 professional development units (PDUs) at this event. IRC-credentialed speakers may also earn PDUs.  Find out more information at www.niri.org/certification.

FLASH SALE ~ Sign up to access the replay

This flash sale will expire on Friday, November 13, 2020

If you have any questions, please contact Priscilla Lim at [email protected] or +44 20 8004 4989.

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