Virtual event; timings to be announced
The IR Magazine Awards – Canada 2021 will take place on Thursday, April 8 as a virtual awards ceremony. We will once again be bringing together the investor relations community to celebrate and honor excellence in the IR profession. Further details about the 2021 awards ceremony will follow in due course including information about how to access our virtual platform and timings.
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. In recent years, the awards program has expanded to recognize more aspects of an IRO’s role as we add new categories to the list and give IR teams the opportunity to nominate themselves.
By popular demand, 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 provide the best IR service. In our nominated categories, companies submit written entries to articulate their success and achievements from the past year, giving any publicly listed company the opportunity to be considered for an award.
The nomination deadline is midnight (ET) on Friday, January 15Submit an entry
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 team members.
We are now accepting entries for the 2021 awards! 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.
The awards-by-nomination categories differ from our traditional researched awards, as 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 team members.
The judging process consists of three simple phases:
Phase one: Once the entry deadline has passed, the IR Magazine editorial team reviews all submissions and produces the short list
Phase two: The short-listed entries are shared with an independent judging panel made up of industry experts. The judges review each short-listed entry and select their top two picks per category
Phase three: The judges come together to discuss, debate and select the final list of winners who will go on to win an award
The judges’ votes are not made public, but their comments may be published in articles or reports after the event. Judges are not required to make comments against every submission.
View our awards best practice guide for insights from our past winners and partnersAccess the guide
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. Every year 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.
For the current research survey, the deadline to submit lists has now passed. If you have any questions on this process or wish to access our data sharing agreement, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page. For any further queries about the research, please contact [email protected].
Please note that categories are subject to change based on the final research results. Some categories may be split by market cap size.
The first thing to explain is that our researched 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. These details are combined with IHS Markets list of US investment community contacts to produce a total of around 50,000 investors and analysts.
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 2021: 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 one month before the event.
March 25, 2021: Winners announced
And finally… the winners are announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday, April 8, 2021!
March 2021: Report published
Shortly after the awards, the Investor Perception Study – Canada 2021 report is published and made available to IR Magazine subscribers.
Awards Partners
OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market, and the Pink Open Market for 10,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS, we connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors.
To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com.
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:
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.
Please fill in the form below to receive updates about registering to attend the Canada Awards 2021. We will confirm further details shortly, including more information about our virtual platform and the event timings.
If you have any questions, please contact Chloe Rutter at [email protected] or call +44 20 3002 0396.
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:
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 |
For partnership inquiries
+1 212 430 6865
For awards inquiries
+44 20 8004 4989
For all other inquiries
+44 20 3002 0396