IR Magazine
IR Magazine Awards – Europe

IR Magazine Awards ‒ Europe
Celebrating IR excellence

Thursday, June 20, 2019

8 Northumberland Avenue, London

About the IR awards

The internationally renowned IR Magazine Awards – Europe will take place on Thursday, June 20, 2019 to honor excellence in the investor relations profession. The prestigious ceremony, now in its 29th year, will host the best of the IR community from across Europe at 8 Northumberland Avenue in London.

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 in 2019 – 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.

More information on the categories, how the winners are chosen and a glimpse into how this fantastic evening is shaping up can be found below. Join us to meet the companies that are consistently raising the bar and pushing the profession forward through innovation.

We look forward to celebrating with you this summer!

Master of Ceremonies

We are delighted to announce that Paul Sinha will be the master of ceremonies at this year’s awards presentation.

After turning to stand-up as a break from his studies while he was a junior doctor, Paul Sinha went on to become both a practising GP and an Edinburgh comedy award nominee. He continued to perform while working as a locum, at the same time his experiences on the NHS frontline became a great source of material.

Having now forsaken doctoring, Paul is frequently heard on Radio 4 and 5Live displaying his knowledge, passion and wit on current affairs and sport – especially cricket and football – on everything from his own documentary features to The News Quiz, Just A Minute, The Now Show, Fighting Talk and Yes It’s The Ashes. He wrote and hosted his own documentary for Radio 4, The Sinha Test in which he looked at the intertwining of sport and nationality, a theme he revisited for the Olympics with The Sinha Games. He also presented his History Revision series which took on the more unusual, yet telling aspects of history, and appeared on QI, Would I Lie to You?, and ITV4’s sporting quiz Football Genius.

A quiz obsessive (and a regular fixture in the UK’s top 20 best quizzers) Paul realised a lifelong dream by appearing on special editions of both University Challenge and Mastermind. He appears as a ‘chaser’ on ITV’s popular quiz show The Chase (where Paul is known as ‘The Sinnerman’). As well as participating in televised and pub quizzes, he writes and hosts them. He’s also a published writer with his first book The Real British Citizenship Test: What You Really Need to Know to be a UK Citizen taking a comic look at British identity and stereotypes. Paul made headlines when he offered Gordon Brown some tips on how to keep his jokes fresh.

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. Please find the list of categories below. Nominees for 2019 will be announced at the end of May and the winners will be announced at our glamorous awards ceremony on June 20. View the list of nominees and winners from 2018 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 corporate governance & disclosure

Best corporate governance & disclosure

This category is for companies whose governance policies and practice best reflect the priorities of the investment community, especially in terms of board composition, executive compensation, disclosure and general accountability to shareholders

Best in sector awards

Best in sector awards

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program in the following sectors: communications, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, healthcare, industrials, materials, real estate, technology, utilities

Best in region awards

Best in region awards

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program in the following regions: Western Europe, Central & Eastern Europe, Germany and the UK.

The first thing to explain is that our awards by research are different from most others and 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 survey for the 2019 awards is now closed and we are no longer able to invite your buy and sell-side analysts and portfolio managers to take part in the survey. If you would like to send us the list ahead of next year, please send an Excel file with their names, firm, their direct telephone number and their email address to [email protected].

November – December: Online survey
IR Magazine has been building investment community databases over the past 20 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 & short lists
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.

IR Magazine receives the results in March 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.

June: Winners announced
This year’s winners will be announced live on stage at a black-tie awards ceremony in London on June 20, attended by the leading lights of European investor relations.

July: Report published
After the event the Investor Perception Study – Europe 2019 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.

 

Attendees say

"This event provided a good opportunity to network whilst celebrating IR teams across Europe that are striving to deliver a professional service."

Paul Ferneyhough, REPSOL

"A very slick, enjoyable, five star event with excellent networking opportunities."

Abigail Herron, Aviva Investors

"The event was well organized and ticked all boxed. Nice company, good dinner, excellent MC and to-the-point awards ceremony"

Jan Willem Weidema, Aegon

"Great event to meet other IR professionals and suppliers. Well organised and superb catering. The MC, Miles Jupp, was outstanding!"

Anna-Lena Astrom, Kambi Group

"Really enjoyable evening, well arranged with plenty of information available ahead of the event, the awards ceremony went on for the right length of time and the food was wonderful"

Kate Gibbon, S&N

"The evening was pure elegance and class. It was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect and meet new people in the investor relations community. The atmosphere was warm, welcoming and fun! Kudos IR Magazine for organising such an impactful event. We will surely be a sponsor again next year"

Amy Gardner, Baird

"Nice atmosphere and great place to network and meet other IR people"

Christian Stoehr, adidas Group

"One of the more glamorous IR Awards! a great opportunity to Network - thank you IR Magazine"

Sarah Mckenzie, Britvic

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. Please find the list of categories below. Nominees for 2019 will be announced at the end of May and the winners will be announced at our glamorous awards ceremony on June 20. View the list of winners from 2018 here.

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/complementarity between different reports.

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 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.  

We are no longer accepting entries for this year’s awards-by-nomination categories. Please note that categories are subject to change based on the final nomination results announced in 2019. We will inform short listed companies and individuals by the end of April. Good luck!

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 two simple phases:

Phase 1: Judges are sent all submissions for review. They are asked to score the entries for each category based on the criteria. The judges scores will then be collated and averaged, which will form the initial short lists.

Phase 2: For the second phase, judges come together to discuss, with renewed scrutiny, those entries that have made it through to the shortlist. This final stage will determine the winners and runners up, 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.

Awards by nomination: judging panel

On the night

Make a day of it: Join our think tank

Taking place on the morning of the awards ceremony, the IR Magazine Think Tank – Europe is an invitation-only event exclusively for senior IROs.

It is free to attend and our unique format enables participants to network extensively, discuss, debate and dissect topical issues affecting European IR. We have over 100 senior IR professionals attending and this year, we are focusing on the big five questions facing European IROs.

It is far removed from the traditional conference set-up as the event consists of a series of panel sessions followed by roundtables on select IR issues. All discussions are confidential so you can have a free and open chat with your peers.

Visit our think tank website to view the list of topics we will discuss and request an invite.

Who attends?

Over 300 attendees joined us in 2018, with the majority being senior IR professionals from across Europe who were being recognised for their fantastic contribution to the profession. Each participant is someone with an established track record and a strategic IR role within his or her company. Some of the attendees in 2018 included:

Job title Company name Job title Company name
Analyst, Strategy & Investor relations Endeavour Mining Head of IR OMV
Assistant Company Secretary Ocado Group Head of IR PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna
CEO Dechra Pharmaceuticals Head of IR Rolls-Royce
CEO Waberer’s International Head of IR RWE
CEO-Designate IR Society Head of IR & Financial Communication Orange
Chairperson Abird Head of IR and Rating Agencies Grupo Catalana Occidente
Chief Financial Officer RDI REIT Head of Marketing & Membership IR Society
Chief Operating Officer Metal Trade Overseas Interim IR director Aggreko
Co-CIO for European and German mid/small cap Allianz Global Investors International Investor Relations Manager Cisco Systems
Co-founder Parus Finance Investor Relations Allianz
Company Secretary RDI REIT Investor relations British Land
Corporate Access & Broker Relationship Manager Fidelity Management & Research Investor Relations Coca-Cola European Partners
Corporate development analyst GSK Investor Relations Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling
Deputy Head of Investor Relations BASF Investor Relations Continental
Deputy Head of IR OMV Investor Relations Continental
DGC/Deputy Company Secretary, Legal AstraZeneca Investor Relations Danone
Digital Director AstraZeneca Investor relations Diageo
Director Investor Relations eDreams ODIGEO Investor Relations Glaxosmithkline
Director of Financial Reporting & IR Great Portland Estates Investor Relations IHG Group
Director of Investor Relations AstraZeneca Investor Relations Johnson Matthey
Director of Investor Relations AstraZeneca Investor Relations N+1 Singer
Director of Investor Relations AstraZeneca Investor relations Orange
Director of Investor Relations AstraZeneca Investor Relations Philips Electronics
Director of Investor Relations Britvic Investor Relations Royal Dutch Shell
Director of Investor Relations Glaxosmithkline Investor Relations Royal Dutch Shell
Director of Investor Relations Johnson Matthey Investor Relations Tesco
Director of Investor Relations Telefonica Digital Investor Relations Analyst Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield
Director of IR & Communications Iberdrola Investor Relations Coordinator Valmet
Director, Head of Investor Relations TAV Airports Holding Investor Relations Manager ASOS
Director, Investor Relations Credit Suisse Investor Relations Manager Direct Line Insurance
Director, Investor Relations Valmet Investor Relations Manager Kingfisher
EU Comms Director AstraZeneca Investor Relations Manager Land Securities Group
Event & Planning Co-ordinator AstraZeneca Investor Relations Manager Moncler
Executive Assistant, Investor relations adidas Investor Relations Officer Altri
External Reporting Manager Hugo Boss Investor Relations Officer Borregaard
External Reporting Manager Repsol Investor Relations Officer NN Group
Finance Manager Antofagasta Investor Relations Officer Origin Enterprises
Global Head of Investor Relations Edison Investor Relations Officer Nestlé
Group Financial Controller Ocado Group IR – Institutional Investors Lanxess
Group Financial Controller The Go-Ahead Group IR Analyst Ferrovial
Group Investor Relations Director Lloyds Banking Group IR and Financial Planning Manager SEGRO
Head of Corporate Access Fidelity International IR Coordinator SEGRO
Head of Fund Financial Control GCP Student Living IR Coordinator Wolters Kluwer
Head of Global Investor Relations GSK IR Director Sareb
Head of international investor relations Shire IR Director Waberer’s International
Head of Investor Relations Ahold Delhaize IR Manager adidas
Head of Investor Relations Applus Services IR Manager DSV
Head of Investor Relations AstraZeneca IR Manager Repsol
Head of Investor Relations Banco Comercial Português IR Manager Hays
Head of Investor Relations British Land IR Manager Lomsko Pivo
Head of investor relations Centrica IR Mananger Hays
Head of Investor Relations easyJet IR Officer Equinor
Head of Investor Relations Garanti Bank IR Officer Galp Energia
Head of Investor Relations Greencore Group IR Senior Manager Deutsche Telekom
Head of Investor Relations Hays IRO MOL Group
Head of Investor Relations Hugo Boss IRO Orange
Head of Investor Relations Hugo Boss IRO & CVP Treasury Grifols
Head of Investor Relations Iberdrola London IR Representative Recruit Holdings
Head of Investor Relations Land Securities Group Manager Investor Relations Hugo Boss
Head of Investor Relations Lanxess Manager of ESG Communications Repsol
Head of Investor Relations Londonmetric Property Manager, Digital Channels and Reporting AstraZeneca
Head of Investor Relations Mota-Engil Manager, Investor Relations Garanti Bank
Head of Investor Relations NN Group Manager, IR, Strategy & Business Development Garanti Bank
Head of Investor Relations NOS Managing Director Aeri
Head of Investor Relations Orange Polska Managing Director voestalpine UK
Head of Investor Relations Philips Electronics PA & Team Assistant ASOS
Head of Investor Relations Repsol PA to CEO & COO SEGRO
Head of Investor Relations SAP Relationship Manager Intesa Sanpaolo
Head of Investor Relations The Go-Ahead Group Research Manager SEGRO
Head of Investor Relations voestalpine Senior Investor Relations Manager Deutsche Post DHL
Head of Investor Relations – Equity Banco Santander Senior Investor Relations Manager Hugo Boss
Head of Investor Relations and Research SEGRO Senior IR Manager adidas
Head of IR Balfour Beatty Senior Manager IR FMC
Head of IR BT Group Senior Manager, investor relations Coca-Cola European Partners
Head of IR Danone Senior Reporting Manager adidas
Head of IR IHG Group Sustainable Development Senior Expert MOL Group
Head of IR ING Group Team Leader External Reporting Hugo Boss
Head of IR Kingfisher VP, Finance GSK
Head of IR Norsk Hydro VP, Investor Relations Cargotec

Inquire about sponsorship

Sponsored by

Would you like to sponsor?

Our awards provides a unique opportunity to get in front of some of the most influential people in the European IR community. As a sponsor, 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.

Sponsoring 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

To find out more about the benefits of sponsoring and the various packages available, email Sébastien Dutrieu or call on +44 77315 33165.

What it means to be a winner

The euphoria of winning an IR Magazine Award doesn’t end at midnight. Past winners have gone on to make outstanding contributions to the IR community by setting standards for good IR, mentoring the next generation of IROs, campaigning for gender equality in IR and pushing the boundaries of IR excellence.

Outside of the awards, our past winners have been able to justify increased budgets for their IR programs, found better prospects when recruiting resources, have increased credibility within the community, received increased visibility within their company and not least – enjoyed better career opportunities.

We feature winning companies on our website and publication to showcase their outstanding work which are examples of international best practice for shareholder communication.

WE KNOW HOW TO CELEBRATE!

We’ve been doing it for over two decades and our awards evenings are widely considered to be the best party on the IR calendar. The awards night provides an opportunity for companies to thank IR teams for the contribution they make on a daily basis because, let’s face it, too often they fail to thank the individuals working the hardest to deliver results.

We bring together in-house IR teams, agencies, service providers and members of the investment community to show our support for the IR profession.

Venue and location

Venue:
8 Northumberland Avenue
London
WC2N 5BY

Accommodation:
IR Magazine has arranged preferential rates for awards guests at nearby hotels. View the hotels and rates by clicking here.

Attendees of the Europe Awards can also obtain preferential rates at the Club Quarters Hotel, located next door to 8 Northumberland Avenue. Click here to make a booking or call the reservations team on +44 20 7451 5800.

Dress code:
Black tie

Please note:
The event may contain flashing lights or sudden loud sound effects

Book your seats

Sign up for the complete experience below. You will have full access to the welcome drinks reception, the glamorous dinner, the prestigious awards ceremony and the fun-filled after party! The ‘corporate attendee’ rate is reserved for corporate IR professionals at publicly listed companies only. All others will have to book under the ‘non-corporate’ rate.

If you have any questions or need any assistance with booking, please contact Alice Kenning on +44 20 8004 6214 or at [email protected].

Please note that the IR Magazine Awards may contain flashing lights or sudden loud sound effects.

Contact us

Privacy policy

IR Media Group Ltd, 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.
To view our privacy policy in full, please click here.