IR Magazine
IR Magazine Awards – Canada 2021

IR Magazine Awards – Canada
Celebrating IR Excellence

Thursday, April 8, 2021

Virtual

About the awards

The IR Magazine Awards – Canada honors excellence in the investor relations profession. Since the annual event first launched in 1996, tens of thousands of analysts and investors have voted in the surveys behind the awards. The result: vital benchmarking information on which companies do the best IR.

Over the last three decades the awards program has expanded to recognize more aspects of investor relations, particularly the contributions of senior management, as well as to identify the best IR by sector. In addition, the research now covers the perspective of winning companies in addition to the views of analysts and investors.

We present two types of award categories – researched and nominated – both celebrating the success of those individuals and companies that are leading the way in IR across Canada. For our researched categories, companies do not submit nominations. Instead, hundreds of analysts and investors cast their votes and give their opinions on which companies do the best IR.

In our nominated categories, companies have the opportunity to nominate themselves or other publicly listed companies, free of charge, for aspects of IR that complement our researched categories. More information on the categories and how winners are chosen can be found below.

Further details about the 2021 awards ceremony will follow in due course, including confirmation of the virtual platform and timings.

Awards by nomination

For our awards-by-nomination categories, individuals and companies are given the opportunity to submit written entries, free of charge, to be put forward to a panel of expert judges made up of investment professionals and IR Magazine editorial members.

OPEN FOR ENTRIES

We are now accepting entries for 2021! Please click here to access the entry form. The deadline for submissions is midnight (ET) on Friday, January 15, 2021.

Please note that categories are subject to change based on the final number of submissions received. Some categories may be split by market cap size.

View the entire list of 2020 nominees here

Best crisis management

Best crisis management

Have you recently dealt with an unexpected event threatening your company's business or reputation? How did your company respond to the Covid-19 pandemic? Tell us about your ‘crisis ready’ plan, the strategy you implemented when the storm hit, and how the IR team’s actions successfully protected or restored shareholder value.

Best ESG reporting

Best ESG reporting

Companies face growing demands to inform investors about the risk and opportunities - they face from a range of ESG issues. Describe how your company was able to meet the demands of shareholders looking for substance in ESG reporting?

Best investor event

Best investor event

Did you hold a capital markets day, site visit or other investor event that made your company stand out from the crowd? Tell us how you came up with an original initiative, the way you managed its organization, and how your audience’s expectations were met; audience feedback is also welcome.

Best IR during a corporate transaction

Best IR during a corporate transaction

How did your IR team go above and beyond to support a recent corporate transaction? Let us know the details. We’ll be looking at the IR team’s involvement in crafting/releasing the messaging for the financial markets and how it organized outreach and dialogue to gain approval from key shareholders.

Best IR website

Best IR website

The IR website is the first point of contact for an IRO’s audience. We want to hear from companies that have developed a best-in-class website displaying top-notch customer experience, engaging content that meets analysts’ and investors’ needs, and multiplatform access.

Best use of technology & social media for IR

Best use of technology & social media for IR

Are you a tech-savvy IRO always looking out for cutting-edge technological solutions for IR? Describe the innovative ways you have incorporated video, audio, infographics or webcasts into your IR program. Judges will be looking for evidence of heightened investor and analyst engagement via these channels.

Rising star

Rising star

This award seeks to honor individuals who bring fresh thinking and a unique approach to the profession. This category is open to anyone who has been working in IR for less than five years and has less than 10 years of professional experience.

Lifetime achievement

Lifetime achievement

The winner of this award is selected by the panel of judges. If you would like to make a suggestion of a worthy winner, please email Ben Ashwell, editor of IR Magazine at [email protected].

The judging process is made up of three simple phases:

Phase one: The IR Magazine editorial team reviews the entries and produces the shortlist.

Phase two: The shortlisted entries are shared with an independent judging panel of industry experts. The judges review each shortlisted entry and select their top two picks.

Phase three: The judges come together for a discussion to select the winners.

The judges’ votes are not made public, but their comments may be published in articles or reports after the event

Past attendees say

"The whole agenda was seamlessly executed; especially having gone 100% virtual! The networking portion was great, I found the 5-minute limit to be the perfect amount. Overall, a well-done event, engaging content, and professionally executed. Thank you IR Magazine!"

RBC

"Very smooth run through. I liked the prerecorded acceptance speeches to help keep the suspense. Very well done, given the circumstances!"

Anonymous

"I like how it moved quickly - winners kept their remarks short - it had a celebratory feel. Really good."

Anonymous

"The event flowed very well. MC was great."

Anonymous

"Classy and efficient"

Anonymous

"Very good flow, and on time"

Agnico Eagle

"The show and the entire process was fantastic. Your team does a great job bringing the IR community together to celebrate accomplishments and learn from each other, despite the unusual circumstances!"

MSA Safety

"It was fast paced and the platform interface seemed to flow seamlessly from presenter to presenter. I look forward to next year's event!"

Discovery

"flawless! fun, great pace and all the hosts were amazing!!"

8x8

"Great execution, clear planning, and wonderful networking!"

Telsey Advisory Group

Awards by research

Our awards-by-research nominees are determined by the input of hundreds of analysts and portfolio managers, who give their opinions on which companies provide them with the best IR service in the US. We invite any publicly listed company to submit their list of buy and sell-side analysts and portfolio managers, so that they have the opportunity to vote via our survey.

How do I submit a list?

Please send an Excel file with the names, firm, direct telephone numbers and email addresses to [email protected].

If you have any questions on this process or wish to access our data sharing agreement, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Please note that categories are subject to change based on the final number of submissions received. Some categories may be split by market cap size.

View the entire list of 2020 nominees here

Best overall investor relations

Best overall investor relations

Best investor relations officer

Best investor relations officer

Best IR by a senior management team

Best IR by a senior management team

Best financial reporting

Best financial reporting

Best IR by a Canadian company in the US market

Best IR by a Canadian company in the US market

Best in sector: consumer discretionary & consumer staples

Best in sector: consumer discretionary & consumer staples

Best in sector: energy

Best in sector: energy

Best in sector: financials & real estate

Best in sector: financials & real estate

Best in sector: industrials

Best in sector: industrials

Best in sector: materials

Best in sector: materials

Best in sector: technology & communications

Best in sector: technology & communications

Best in sector: utilities

Best in sector: utilities

The first thing to explain is that our awards are different from most others: for our awards by research, companies do not submit nominations. The winners are identified by in-depth research and any publicly traded company is eligible to be considered. This survey is the only one of its kind to go directly to the investment community, via a combination of an electronic survey and one-to-one telephone interviews, canvassing the opinions of the people who matter to you most.

July 2020: Sample selection

IR Magazine has been building investment community databases for more than 30 years. As part of the updating process, listed companies are contacted every year for details of the professionals who currently cover their stock.

September – November 2020: Telephone survey

The telephone survey then gets under way. The researchers conduct in-depth interviews with an additional 250 portfolio managers and analysts across the US. Many of them participate in the study year after year, but there is always a healthy proportion of new respondents each year as well. As the research progresses, the sample is adjusted to ensure appropriate weightings are maintained.

October 2020: Electronic survey

IR Magazine then conducts an electronic survey of buy-side and sell-side analysts and portfolio managers. The electronic survey typically receives 200 individual responses from the investment community. These responses then go to Mary Maude Research for initial analysis. The research firm determines what will constitute a representative sample, weighted for industry sector.

Results analysis

Once the survey stage of the research is completed, the final analysis is undertaken. The companies with the highest scores make the short lists for the awards categories, and the points are further analyzed to identify the best exponents of IR by sector. The independence of our research is crucial to the integrity of the whole awards program, so IR Magazine sees the results only once the research is complete. This ensures a transparent, independent set of results that IROs can trust as a valuable bench-marking tool.

January 2020: Short list compiled

IR Magazine receives the results in January and contacts the short-listed companies to give them the good news. The short list is then published to the entire IR community the month before the event.

April 8, 2021: Winners announced

And finally… the winners are announced live at the awards presentation.

April 2021: Report published

Shortly after the awards, the Investor Perception Study – Canada 2021 report is published and made available to IR Magazine subscribers.

 

Inquire about partnership

Our Partners

Become a partner

Why partner with us?

The Canada Awards brings together some of the most influential people in the IR community. Our audience recognize the sudden change of pace cannot be navigated alone and are constantly looking for partners to help shape their shareholder engagement strategy and execute it. This event provides partners an opportunity to position yourself as a critical partner to the community.

The unique buzz we create at our virtual events – which is a far cry from a traditional webinar – afford our partners exceptional opportunities to entertain visitors and show-case their expertise.

Becoming a partner means you will:

– Get virtual face-time with senior decision-makers from the IR community
– Increase brand awareness and gain credibility through association with this event
– Generate qualified and targeted leads from the analytics provided by our virtual platform
– Gain new business opportunities through higher-brand presence among potential clients
– Participate in one on one video chats to build relationships with new and existing customers
– Launch new products and solutions at our virtual event in your expo booth

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 create you a package that’s makes sense for your company and will help you achieve those objectives.

To find out more about how we can help, contact Ian Richman or call on +1 212 430 6865.

Who attends?

Attendees at this event are leading IR practitioners from across Canada. Each participant is someone with an established track record and a strategic IR role within his or her company.

Below is a sample of some of our past attendees from 2020:

Job title Company Job title Company
Advisor, investor relations WSP Global Manager, capital markets ESG, investor relations TC Energy
AVP, investor relations Manulife Manager, investor relations Lundin Mining
AVP, investor relations Canadian Tire Corporation Manager, investor relations Zymeworks
CFO Altus Group Manager, investor relations and corporate development Precision Drilling
CFO OneSoft Solutions Manager, sustainability disclosure & impact measurement BMO Financial Group
Chief communications officer AmTrust financial services Managing counsel, commercial & securities Rogers
Communications director Jamieson Wellness Senior Director IR RBC
Director – finance Waste Connections Senior manager, corporate development Ero Copper
Director – investor relations Boralex Senior manager, investor relations & communications Cineplex
Director investor relations Intact Financial Sr. director, investor relations Shopify
Director investor relations Suncor Energy SVP investor relations and strategic analysis Teck Resources
Director, communications & government relations Eldorado Gold Corporation SVP, head of investor relations & capital management Sun Life Financial
Director, corporate access TD Securities US chief representative Samsung Life Insurance
Director, investor relations Aecon Group Vice president investor relations Agnico Eagle Mines
Director, investor relations Canopy Growth Vice president investor relations & treasurer Superior Plus
Director, investor relations Cenovus Energy Vice president, head of institutional business development Instar
Director, investor relations Home Trust Vice president, investor relations Alamos Gold
Director, investor relations Hudbay Vice president, investor relations Fortis
Director, investor relations & treasury CP Rail Vice president, investor relations Hydro One
Director, strategy, risk, and investor relations Enerflex Vice president, investor relations Royal Bank of Canada
ESG manager Liberty Utilities Vice president, investor relations Algonquin Power
EVP investor relations Sagicor Financial Company Vice-president and treasurer Dollarama
Executive director Activa VP capital markets Baytex Energy
Head of investor relations Maritime Resources VP investor development Exchange Income
Head of IR Goldmoney VP investor relations MediPharm Labs
Investor relations LMA VP investor relations Stantec
Investor relations analyst ARC Resources VP investor relations Vermilion Energy
Investor relations analyst Endeavour Mining VP marketing & investor relations Blockstation
Investor relations associate Caldas Gold VP strategy & IR Endeavour Mining Corporation
Investor relations, marketing Lotus VP, investor relations CN
IR manager IFC VP, investor relations Nutrien
Manager investor relations BRP VP, IR Deloitte
Manager investor relations & corporate planning Enerplus VP, strategy, planning & IR Gibson Energy

Virtual awards highlights

View the highlights from our virtual awards ceremonies for a taste of what to expect in 2021!

Register your interest to attend

Please fill in the form below to receive updates about the Canada Awards 2021. We will confirm further details about the event shortly, including location and timings.

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

Click here

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