IR Magazine
IR Magazine Awards – Europe

IR Magazine Awards ‒ Europe
Celebrating IR excellence

Thursday, June 24, 2021

About the awards

The IR Magazine Awards – Europe honors excellence in the investor relations profession.

Since the event first launched in 1990, 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 two decades the awards program has expanded to recognize more aspects of an IRO’s role as we add new categories to the list.

By popular demand, we will once again 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 Europe.

For our awards-by-research 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. For our awards-by-nomination categories, companies have the opportunity to nominate themselves or other publicly listed companies, free of charge, for aspects of IR that complement our awards by research.

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

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 Europe. 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.

Further information about the awards-by-research process will be available shortly.

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

View the entire list of 2020 winners here

Best overall investor relations

Best overall investor relations

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program.  

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.

Best in sector: communications

Best in sector: communications

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program in their sector.

Best in sector: consumer discretionary

Best in sector: consumer discretionary

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program in their sector.

Best in sector: consumer staples

Best in sector: consumer staples

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program in their sector.

Best in sector: energy

Best in sector: energy

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program in their sector.

Best in sector: financials

Best in sector: financials

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program in their sector.

Best in sector: healthcare

Best in sector: healthcare

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program in their sector.

Best in sector: industrials

Best in sector: industrials

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program in their sector.

Best in sector: materials

Best in sector: materials

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program in their sector.

Best in sector: real estate

Best in sector: real estate

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program in their sector.

Best in sector: technology

Best in sector: technology

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program in their sector.

Best in sector: utilities

Best in sector: utilities

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program in their sector.

The first thing to explain is that our awards by research are different from our awards by nomination: 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.

The research process includes us inviting your buy and sell-side analysts and portfolio managers to take part in the survey and the timeline is outlined below:

November – December: Online survey
IR Magazine has been building investment community databases over the past 30 years. As part of the updating process, listed companies are contacted every year for details of the professionals who currently cover their stock. A preliminary electronic survey of buy-side and sell-side analysts and portfolio managers is then conducted.

December – February: Telephone survey
The responses from the electronic survey then go to Mary Maude Research for initial analysis. The research firm determines what will constitute a representative sample, weighted for Europe’s industry sectors and geographical regions. It then conducts in-depth interviews with 500 portfolio managers and analysts across Europe. As the research progresses, the sample is adjusted to ensure appropriate weightings are maintained.

March – April: 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 and by country.

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 benchmarking tool.

April: Short lists
IR Magazine receives the research results and contacts 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.

June 24, 2021: Winners announced
And finally… the winners are announced during our awards ceremony!

June: Report published
After the event the Investor Perception Study – Europe 2021 report will be made available to professional subscribers to IR Magazine. This report will profile the top ranked companies and reveal information on how they conduct their IR activities and why investors voted for them.

For further information on this year’s investor survey, please contact Janet Dignan at +44 20 8004 6322 or [email protected].

 

Past attendees say

"Very well organized, focused and glamourous. Again, broadcasting the importance of the IR function in corporate governance, communication and reputation management. Further celebrating the winner companies/executives as it should. Congratulations!"

Mercuri Urval

"Very interesting event and pointing to the ever raising importance of the IR function. Congratulations!"

Eames Wyatt

"Excellent event under the circumstances and amazing how you got all the videos’ shot for the winners, made it feel very real and personal which was great."

IR Club Switzerland, supporting association

"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

"Perfect: venue; speaker: mood; food"

Carlo Di Pierro - Banca Sistema

"Very well organised. Paul Sinha was an excellent host, who injected good amounts of energy into the evening. Food was excellent too!"

Charles Chalkly - Hays

"Excellent evening in the heart of London!"

Morten Buus - RD:IR

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.

Further details about the awards-by-nomination process will be announced shortly.

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 winners here

Best crisis management

Best crisis management

Have you recently dealt with an unexpected event threatening your company's business or reputation? How did you 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 annual report

Best annual report

Are shareholders and analysts raving about the quality of your annual print or online report? Give us your vision of good reporting practice. Judges will be looking for a well-articulated equity story, ease of flow or navigation, state-of-the-art design and consistency/complementary between different reports.

Best ESG materiality reporting

Best ESG materiality reporting

Investors are increasingly looking to determine the material ESG risks and opportunities for companies. But the range of data and inconsistency of reporting can make it difficult to get a full picture. This award recognizes the achievement of companies that produce clear investor-facing communications about ESG issues that are material to their business.

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 multimedia for IR

Best use of multimedia 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. Tell us why you (or someone else) have what it takes to be the next Magdalena Moll! This category is open to anyone who has been working in IR for less than five years.  

The awards by nomination differ from our traditional awards by research, 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 members.

The judging process is made up of the following stages:

Stage 1: Judges are allocated to categories and sent the entry packs, which contain a longlist of submissions to review and score.
Stage 2: Judges are asked to score each submission based on how well the entrant has addressed the category criteria and entry form requirements for each section. These scores are collated and averaged by the IR Magazine awards team and the top scoring entries will form our shortlist of nominees per category.
Stage 3: Once the shortlists are determined, judges come together with renewed scrutiny to discuss and debate the winning entry. This final stage will determine the winners and high commendations (where applicable) in each category.

The judges scores will not be shared with nominees, however, comments may be published in articles or reports after the event. The judges are not required to make comments against every submission.

Inquire about partnership

Partners

Become a partner

Why partner with us?

Our awards provides a unique opportunity to get in front of some of the most influential people in the European 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 about how we can help, contact Sébastien Dutrieu or call on +44 77315 33165.

Register your interest

Please fill in the form below for updates about the 2021 Europe Awards.

Register your interest

Who attends?

Attendees are leading IR practitioners from across Europe. Each participant is someone with an established track record and a strategic IR role within his or her company. We had over 300 IR professionals attend in 2020 including:

Click here to request the full attendee list

Job title Company Job title Company
CVP IRO Grifols Head of investor relations O2 Czech Republic
Deputy head of IR OMV Head of investor relations Rovi Laboratories
Director investor relations Borregaard Head of investor relations SEGRO
Director investor relations eDreams ODIGEO Head of investor relations Vista Alegre
Director IR Telefonica Deutschland Head of investor relations Zalando
Director of corporate communications and investor relations Jones and Palmer Head of investor relations and corporate communications PSI Software
Director of financial reporting and investor relations Great Portland Estates Head of investor relations and external communications Caverion Corporation
Director of investor relations AstraZeneca Head of investor relations and M&A Douglas
Director of investor relations Britvic Head of IR Ascential
Director of investor relations Cellnex Head of IR CompuGroup Medical
Director of investor relations Unilever Head of IR EDP
Director of IR & corporate communication IBERDROLA Head of IR Go-Ahead
Director of IR & shareholders FLUIDRA Head of IR Jeronimo Martins
Director, investor relations REPSOL Head of IR McCarthy and Stone
Director, investor relations Credit Suisse Group Head of IR Royal Philips
Director, investor relations North America Novo Nordisk Head of IR Unibail Rodamco Westfield
Director, IR Valmet Head of IR Vonovia
Finance and IR director AENA Head of IR & strategy UDG Healthcare
Global head of investor relations HSBC Holdings Head of IR and ESG MOL
Group communications & IR director Akka Head of IR and sustainability Severn Trent
Group investor relations director Tesco IR director Schneider Electric
Group IR director Prysmian IR director UNIMOT S.A.
Head corporate communications Implenia IR, director Galp
Head IR Sacyr Managing director Ford Sinclair
Head of group IR Enel Senior vice president investor relations BASF
Head of investor & credit relations Ströer Senior vice president,  head of investor relations & sustainability Fresenius
Head of investor relations adidas Vice president investor relations, communications and corporate responsibility NORMA Group
Head of investor relations Banca Sistema VP global head, investor relations Alcon
Head of investor relations Covestro VP investor relations Barco NV
Head of investor relations Deutsche Post DHL Group VP investor relations Shell International
Head of investor relations International Airlines Group VP IR Endeavour Mining
Head of investor relations LANXESS VP, investor relations Farfetch Limited
Head of investor relations Mediclinic International VP, investor relations and financial communications Fortum
Head of investor relations Merck

 

Click here to request the full attendee list

2019 Highlights

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