The IR Magazine Awards – Canada 2024 will take place on Thursday, April 4 in Toronto. This very special event honors excellence in the investor relations profession across Canada and we were excited to welcome everyone for an evening of fine food and lots of celebrating!
Since the annual event first launched in 1996, tens of thousands of analysts and investors have voted in the surveys that fuels 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.
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 2024! Please click here to access the entry form. The extended deadline for submissions is midnight (ET) on Friday, December 8.
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected] or call +44 20 8004 4989.
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.
We are delighted to announce our judging panel for the 2024 awards! Click on each photo below to find out more.
Brian Christie
Former vice president, investor relations
Agnico Eagle Mines
Mr. Christie served as the Vice President of Investor Relations at Agnico Eagle Mines from December 2012 until July 2022. During his tenure at Agnico Eagle, the company was consistently recognized as having one of the top Investor Relations programs across all industries in Canada. Mr. Christie is currently retained by Agnico Eagle as a Senior Advisor, Investor Relations.
From 2016 until 2021 he served as an Independent Director (including 2 years as Board Chair and Compensation Committee Chair) of the Denver Gold Group, a Colorado based not-for-profit association owned by its member gold companies who control most of the world’s precious metal output and mineral assets.
Before joining Agnico Eagle, he worked for over 17 years in the investment industry, primarily as a precious and base metals mining analyst with Desjardins Securities, National Bank Financial, Canaccord Capital and HSBC Securities. Prior to this, Mr. Christie spent 13 years in the mining industry as a geologist for a variety of mining companies, including Homestake, Billiton, Falconbridge Copper and Newmont Mining. Mr. Christie holds a BSc. in Geology (University of Toronto) and an MSc. in Geology (Queen’s University) and is a member of the Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI) and the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI).
Lorne Gorber
Senior advisor and Quebec lead
LodeRock
Lorne Gorber is a bilingual executive with nearly 20 years of success leading global strategic reputation management initiatives within large, global, and publicly-traded companies.
Top Gun ranked by Brendan Wood for multiple years, Lorne is recognized leader in the investor relations community. He was named a Fellow of the Canadian Investor Relations Institute (F.CIRI) in 2017, a designation for those who have advanced the investor relations profession and the efforts of CIRI. In 2018, Lorne received IR Magazine’s award as best investor relations officer in Canada (large cap) and, over several years led IR teams recognized as Best in the Technology Sector.
Lorne began his career as a writer and editor for various publications in Canada and the United States, conceptualizing and developing compelling narratives that engaged and informed audiences on a variety of topics.
Lorne holds an undergraduate degree from Concordia University in Montréal and a master’s degree from the University of Southern California. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Council of the Great Lakes Region; sits on the Advisory Council of Ubico Inc. Additionally, Lorne serves as CEO of Blockify Inc., an emerging blockchain technology company.
Colleen Johnston
Former CFO
TD Bank
Colleen currently serves on the boards of Shopify, McCain Foods, Q4 and Private Debt Partners. She previously served as the Chair of Unity Health Toronto, Bridgepoint Health
and the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario.
Colleen Johnston retired from TD Bank Group in 2018. Prior to this, she was the Group Head Direct Channels, Technology, Marketing and Corporate & Public Affairs, TD Bank Group. Colleen served as TD’s Chief Financial Officer from 2005-2015. Prior to joining TD in 2004, Colleen spent 15 years with Scotiabank in various senior finance positions. Colleen started her career at PwC in 1982. She received her CA designation in 1984 and in
2006 was elected an FCA (FCPA) recognizing her outstanding career achievements and dedication to community activities.
At TD, she was actively involved in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace as Chair of the Women in Leadership Committee for ten years. In 2013, Colleen was awarded the Catalyst Canada Honours in the Business Leader Category. Colleen has received numerous top industry honours as a senior finance executive including Canada’s CFO of the Year in 2012. She was recognized by Women’s Executive Network as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women three years in a row and inducted into Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2011, for the third year in a row, she was named one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking by American Banker. Colleen has received Honorary Degrees from St. Mary’s University and York University (Schulich School of Business).
Tim Human
Senior reporter
IR Magazine
Tim Human is senior reporter at IR Magazine. He rejoined the publication in 2019 after two years working as a freelance writer for a range of international clients. Previously, he was editor of IR Magazine between 2013-2017. He has also written for Governance Intelligence, formally Corporate Secretary, IR Magazine’s sister publication, and CorpComms, the UK-based magazine for corporate communications professionals.
Garnet Roach
Senior reporter
IR Magazine
Garnet Roach joined IR Magazine in October 2012, working on both the editorial and research sides of the publication. Prior to entering the world of investor relations, her freelance career covered a broad range of subjects, from technology to politics and consumer finance, and even involved a stint as a reporter and editor in Sana’a, Yemen.
Since graduating from City University in London in 2003, where she studied journalism, Roach has worked as a freelance reporter at titles including GlobalPost.com, PC Advisor and The Big Issue.
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 Canada. 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.
View the full list of nominees and winners by clicking here.
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 process, please contact [email protected].
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 2023: 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 Markit’s list of US investment community contacts to produce a total of around 50,000 investors and analysts.
September – November 2023: 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 and Canada. 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 2023: 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 2024: 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 4, 2024: Winners announced
And finally… the winners are announced live at the black tie awards gala on Thursday, April 4, 2024!
April 2024: Report published
Shortly after the awards, the Investor Perception Study – Canada 2024 report is published and made available to IR Magazine subscribers. This report will profile the top ranked companies and reveal information on how they conduct their IR activities and why investors voted for them.
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 current attendees:
Job title | Company | Job title | Company | |
AVP, IR | Canadian Tire | Director, visual communications | Air Canada | |
AVP, IR and capital markets | Sun Life | Head of IR and corporate sustainability | Air Canada | |
CEO | Calian | Head of IR | BMO Financial Group | |
CFO | Alamos Gold | MD, global head of corporate access | Scotiabank | |
CFO | Black Diamond Group | President and CEO | Alamos Gold | |
CFO | Calian | Senior advisor, IR | TransAlta | |
CFO | DIRTT Environmental Solutions | Senior advisor, IR | WSP Global | |
CFO | Tricon Residential | SVP, general counsel | DIRTT Environmental Solutions | |
Chairman and CEO | Karora Resources | SVP, general counsel | Cineplex | |
COO | Alamos Gold | VP, corporate affairs | Aecon Group | |
Director, corp development and IR | Aecon Group | VP, IR | Carbon Streaming | |
Director, IR | BMO Financial Group | VP, IR | Cenovus Energy | |
Director, IR | Karora Resources | VP, IR | Endeavour Silver | |
Director, IR | Canopy Growth Corporation | VP, IR | Fortis | |
Director, IR | Nutrien | VP, IR | Eldorado Gold Corporation | |
Director, IR and communications | Yamana Gold | VP, IR | Osisko Gold Royalties | |
Director, IR and corp development | Martinrea International | VP, IR | OpenText | |
Director, IR and strategy | Cronos Group | VP, strategy and IR | NFI Group |
Why partner with us?
Our awards provide a unique opportunity to get in front of some of the most influential people in the Canadian IR community. As a partner, you will gain an extensive amount of exposure through a wide range of print and digital marketing materials, both pre and post event, as well as on the day itself. Additionally, you can use the event to align yourself with IR excellence and network with key decision makers from across the region – the ones pushing the profession forward through innovation.
Partnering with the event will provide:
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 get in touch with Ian Richman or call on +1 212 430 6865.
Awards Partners
Established in 1997, Newsfile is your customer-first newswire and regulatory filing team that delivers service and support you won’t find anywhere else in the industry.
Our comprehensive circuits distribute news to a worldwide audience of investors, analysts and institutions while ensuring compliance with all Stock Exchanges by reaching major broker terminals, financial databases, aggregators, media and more.
Choose Newsfile for service excellence powered by experienced professionals who make the difference.
For more information please visit www.newsfilecorp.com.
Works Design is a full-service corporate communications agency and design studio. We help world-class organizations present themselves, tell their stories and build relationships with all of their stakeholders.
For more information, please visit www.worksdesign.com
Corporate Partners
Agnico Eagle is a senior Canadian gold mining company that has produced precious metals since 1957. Its operating mines are located in Canada, Finland and Mexico, with exploration activities in each of these countries as well as in the United States and Colombia. The Company and its shareholders have full exposure to gold prices due to its long-standing policy of no forward gold sales. Agnico Eagle has declared a cash dividend every year since 1983.
For more information, please visit www.agnicoeagle.com
CN is a true backbone of the economy, transporting approximately C$250 billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business sectors, ranging from resource products to manufactured products to consumer goods, across a rail network spanning Canada and mid-America. CN – Canadian National Railway Company, along with its operating railway subsidiaries — serves the cities and ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America.
For more information on CN, visit the company’s website at www.cn.ca
View the highlights from the 2023 awards ceremony
For partnership inquiries
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