Bryan is the Manager of Investor Relations at AutoNation, a US based large-cap automotive retailer. In his capacity as an analyst he has become an expert in the day-to-day use cases for weaving AI into the IR workflow. Anticipate him providing a hands-on demonstration during his workshop for how you can begin thinking about automating processes and integrating AI into your company’s IR function.

Müge Yücel is director of investor relations and sustainability at Galata Wind Enerji AS. Galata Wind is a renewable energy producer with wind and solar plants. It is known as the first green IPO in Turkey and went public in April 2021. Yücel is responsible for financial and sustainability communications as well as shareholder engagement and outreach. She is responsible for telling the company’s story to sell-side analysts, engaging investors and increasing the company’s visibility in the global financial community.

Yücel is a member of the Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committees. Her role is to advise the company on all corporate governance issues, improve the application of best practices, and coordinate the corporate governance compliance assessment process. She is also responsible for ensuring that the company complies with international sustainability standards and principles, manages sustainability ratings and acts as a point of contact for sustainability analysts and investors.

Yücel joined Galata Wind from Dogus Otomotiv, the exclusive importer and distributor of Volkswagen Group brands in Turkey, where she headed the IR department for 14 years. Before leaving the company, she reduced the overall volatility of the stock by 14 percent and increased the share of US shareholders from 20 percent to 60 percent of the total free float. She also succeeded in continuously improving the company’s corporate governance rating, making it one of the top three companies in Turkey for seven years. Prior to joining Dogus Otomotiv, she founded her own company Mediterranum AG, a Berlin-based project financed with €25 mn ($27.2 mn) in mezzanine capital to build assisted living facilities on the Turkish Riviera. Prior to that, Yücel held a number of positions ranging from project finance to marketing and advisory roles while living in the US.

Yücel is a member of the Board of Directors of the Turkish IR Society. She is also a member of the Turkish Corporate Governance Association.

Yücel holds a BA in Marketing from Michigan State University. She also holds a Master’s degree in International Management and International Finance from Walsh College of Accountancy and Business Administration. She is also certified as a Governance, Risk and Compliance Professional. In addition, she holds licenses for Level 3 Capital Markets Activities, Corporate Governance Rating, Derivatives and Credit Rating.

Yücel has a monthly LinkedIn newsletter called IROVISION, where she shares her thoughts and experiences on investor relations, digital IR, targeting, sustainability, and governance. She also recently published a book titled “The Investor Relations Playbook – Achieving Sustainable Success”, offering insights into investor relations and addressing a wide range of topics, from crafting compelling narratives to navigating crises and integrating AI-powered solutions and digital technologies. The book is packed with practical tools, checklists, and templates for implementation beyond theory.

Claudia Thomé is the Senior Vice President of Investor Relations at CompuGroup Medical, one of the leading e-health companies in the world. With over 25 years of extensive experience in establishing and heading investor relations, Claudia has led communications with the capital markets at three media and technology firms in Germany, all of which were listed in the MDAX and SDAX indices while being majority-owned by their founders or founding families. Headquartered in Germany, CompuGroup Medical has emerged as a pioneering player in the realm of artificial intelligence, developing and offering AI-based solutions to healthcare customers, while also implementing AI-supported tools early for internal corporate functions, including investor relations.

Irina Zhurba serves as the Director of Investor Relations and Sustainability Reporting at Mister Spex. In this role, she is responsible for communicating the company’s strategy and business initiatives to the investor and shareholder community, as well as overseeing sustainability reporting efforts.

Yvonne Harley is Director of Investor Relations and Sustainability at FTSE listed NCC Group, a global cyber security and software escrow business. With over 30 years in corporate affairs working for global brands across oil and gas, shipping, as well as financial services, Yvonne has always been an avid adopter of new technologies to keep evolving her skills, knowledge and enhance how she works. She believes generative AI platforms should be respected, not feared, and always says please and thank you to her current favourites – ChatGPT and Co-Pilot.

Steve Wade is the head of content at IR Media Group. As a content researcher, conference producer, and event host for IR Magazine and Governance Intelligence, Steve is responsible for gathering intelligence on public companies’ most significant global issues. Steve’s team develops events that promote excellence in investor relations, governance, and sustainability for issuers and investors.

Prior to Corporate Secretary, Steve’s background was in corporate social responsibility and responsible investment. During his time at Ethical Corporation (now Reuters Events), Steve launched the ESG symposium; an event focused on connecting the socially responsible investment community with corporate sustainability leaders at listed companies. Steve was a judge for the Deloitte Green Frog Awards, celebrating the best corporate reporting in Eastern Europe. Steve also presented research at the Global Sustainable Event Summit in London and has spoken about extra-financial reporting with the United Nations Global Compact, the World Bank, and the Polish Ministry of Finance.

Ross is an experienced IRO with both an in-house and advisory background. Originally in equity capital markets banking, Ross has over 20 years of in-house corporate experience, including FTSE100 businesses such as Rolls-Royce, where he was Assistant Director of IR; and Man Group plc, the alternative investment manager, where he was involved in a very wide range of capital raisings and corporate transactions for over a decade.  Ross has also set up and led the IR function for a number of smaller companies, and recently was Sustainability Manager for Virgin Atlantic before heading the IR activities at FTSE250 ZIGUP. He is Deputy Chair of the IR Society.