IR Magazine
IR Magazine Awards – Canada

IR Magazine Awards – Canada
Celebrating IR Excellence

Thursday, April 4, 2024

About the awards

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.

 

Awards-by-nomination      Awards-by-research

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 team members.

OPEN FOR ENTRIES

We are now accepting entries for 2024! Please click here to access the entry form. The deadline for submissions is midnight (ET) on Friday, December 1.

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

Best crisis management

Best crisis management

Have you recently dealt with an unexpected event threatening your company's business or reputation? 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? Market cap breakdown: Micro cap = below C$300 mn / Small cap = between C$300 mn - C$2 bn / Mid-cap  = between C$2 bn - C$10 bn / Large cap = C$10 bn and over

Best innovation in shareholder communications

Best innovation in shareholder communications

In this catch-all category, judges are looking for IR teams who have had to think out of the box in the past 12-18 months to update their shareholder communications campaign and keep up with the evolving needs and wants of the investor community. We’re looking for that tiny little spark of innovation that sets your company apart!

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. Both virtual and in-person events can be considered for this award. Market cap breakdown: Micro cap = below C$300 mn / Small cap = between C$300 mn - C$2 bn / Mid-cap  = between C$2 bn - C$10 bn / Large cap = C$10 bn and over

Best investor targeting strategy *New for 2024*

Best investor targeting strategy *New for 2024*

Have you gone above and beyond to reach new investors and tell your company story? Have you recently changed your targeting strategy to reach new prospects, adapt to adversarial circumstances, or get a better return from your investor engagements? We want to hear from you. Our judges will look for innovative use of data and analysis to optimize your marketing schedule and provide better returns on your IR department and management's time on the road and at conferences.

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 retail IR strategy

Best retail IR strategy

IR teams have recently started to pay attention to and service the traditional blind spot in their shareholder base – the retail investor block. In this category, we’re looking for IR campaigns that include a retail shareholder communication strategy, how it differed from the usual program and the results of these efforts.

Best use of social media and video

Best use of social media and video

Have your IR teams increased visibility and engagement digitally through the use of different communication channels? Describe the innovative ways you have incorporated video, audio, infographics or webcasts into your IR program. Judges will be looking for evidence of the quality of output, use of creativity and heightened investor and analyst engagement via these channels.

Best use of technology including AI *New for 2024*

Best use of technology including AI *New for 2024*

Have you harnessed cutting-edge technology like AI to enhance your IR efforts? In this new category, we want to hear about how you have used tools to overcome IR challenges, create efficiencies, enhance intelligence or improve the quality of your IR activities. Judges want to hear about the tools you have used in your IR efforts, how you used them and the measures implemented to ensure safe and responsible use of technology.

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 10 years and has less than 15 years of professional experience.

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.

What our attendees say

"Very well organized. Great location and venue. Meal and bar were very good. Kept the evening moving during the awards phase. Really appreciated the band and the whole feel around the ceremony"

Cenovus Energy Inc

"The chance to get to see the IR World in a different light, hear about the success stories and cheer on the nominees and winners"

Stantec

"It was a very impressive evening in every way - the location was great, the ballroom was beautiful, open bar, 360 camera, red carpet, dinner, audio/video set up for awards presentation, live singer/band as winners"

Medak

"The 2023 IR Magazine Awards – Canada was a slick, professional and fun event to celebrate IR excellence across industries"

BMO Financial Group

"A great opportunity to celebrate IR and catch up with old friends"

Loblaw

"The location, the drinks, service at the bar, and the pre/post-dinner food were incredible. The atmosphere was awesome and I think the length of the event was perfect"

Sun Life Financial

"What's not to like about the IR Magazine Awards! Amazing venue, food and entertainment"

Broadridge

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 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].

Best overall investor relations

Best overall investor relations

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program. Market cap breakdown: Micro cap = below C$300 mn / Small cap = between C$300 mn - C$2 bn / Mid-cap  = between C$2 bn - C$10 bn / Large cap = C$10 bn and over

Best investor relations officer

Best investor relations officer

This category is for individual IROs whose knowledge of their company and sector and whose ability to build relationships with members of the investment community and to be transparent, accessible and responsive, sets them apart. Market cap breakdown: Micro cap = below C$300 mn / Small cap = between C$300 mn - C$2 bn / Mid-cap  = between C$2 bn - C$10 bn / Large cap = C$10 bn and over

Best IR by a senior management team

Best IR by a senior management team

Market cap breakdown: Micro cap = below C$300 mn / Small cap = between C$300 mn - C$2 bn / Mid-cap  = between C$2 bn - C$10 bn / Large cap = C$10 bn and over

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

Best in sector: consumer discretionary

Best in sector: consumer staples

Best in sector: 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 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.

 

Who attends our events

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

 

Request full attendee list

Become a partner

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:

  • A chance to network with qualified, senior decision-makers in the IR community
  • Increased awareness and credibility through association with the region’s leading awards
  • New business opportunities through higher-brand presence among current and potential clients
  • The chance to entertain clients at the most respected event of the year
  • Exposure as the market leader in your chosen area by sponsoring the awards category that best reflects your area of expertise

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.

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Partners

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Highlights

View the highlights from the 2023 awards ceremony

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IR Media Group (USA) Inc, the owner of IR Magazine, Corporate Secretary and IRspace, respect the privacy of every person who visits, registers with or subscribes to our websites and online publications, and is committed to ensuring a safe online experience. This privacy statement applies to all IR Media Group’s websites as listed under the heading ‘Sites’ and outlines the information IR Media Group may collect and how we may use that information. It also explains what we do with information about you when you register to attend one of our events.
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