IR Magazine
IR Magazine Awards – Europe

IR Magazine Awards ‒ Europe
Celebrating IR excellence

Thursday, June 23, 2022

8 Northumberland Avenue, London

About the awards

The IR Magazine Awards – Europe 2022 will take place on Thursday, June 23.

We are delighted to announce that the IR Magazine Awards – Europe 2022 will take place in-person on Thursday, June 23 at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London. This very special event will honor excellence in the investor relations profession across Europe and we’re excited to welcome everyone back for an evening of fine food, dancing and lots of celebrating!

Since the annual 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. 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 Europe.

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.

 

Researched categories      Nominated categories

The nomination deadline is midnight (GMT) on Friday, March 4Submit an entry

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 2022! Please click here to access the entry form. The deadline for submissions is midnight (GMT) on Friday, March 4. Please note that the deadline for entries in the best annual report category is Friday, April 15 to allow for varying reporting deadlines.

If you have any questions that are not answered in the entry guidelines section of the form, please contact [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 8004 4989.

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 full list of 2021 winners by clicking 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/complementary between different reports. Market cap breakdown: Small cap = below €1 bn / Mid-cap = between €1 bn - €7.5 bn / Large cap = €7.5 bn and over. Please note that the deadline for entries in the best annual report category is Friday, April 15 to allow for varying reporting deadlines.

Best crisis management

Best crisis management

Have you recently dealt with an unexpected event threatening your company's business or reputation? How did your 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 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. Market cap breakdown: Small cap = below €1 bn / Mid-cap = between €1 bn - €7.5 bn / Large cap = €7.5 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: Small cap = below €1 bn / Mid-cap = between €1 bn - €7.5 bn / Large cap = €7.5 bn and over

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 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. 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

"Congrats to you and the team for organizing a particularly smooth event today. Well done. It had typical IR Magazine flair."

Aegon

"I thought it worked really and the platform, the layout etc. was excellent."

Britvic

"Very well organized, festive and entertaining virtual event!"

EDAG Engineering Group

"Very good and entertaining moderation for a virtual event. Well done!"

Aixtron

"Good adaptation to virtual format. Well hosted. Just the right length."

Subsea 7

"It was very well presented and was fun to attend!"

Aixtron

"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

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. 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.

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].

View the full list of 2021 winners by clicking 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. Market cap breakdown: Small cap = below €1 bn / Mid-cap = between €1 bn - €7.5 bn / Large cap = €7.5 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: Small cap = below €1 bn / Mid-cap = between €1 bn - €7.5 bn / Large cap = €7.5 bn and over

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 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.

November – December 2021: 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.

January – February 2022: Electronic survey

IR Magazine then conducts an electronic survey of buy-side and sell-side analysts and portfolio managers. The electronic survey typically receives 300 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 Europe’s industry sectors and geographical regions.

December 2021 – February 2022: Telephone survey

The telephone survey then gets under way. The researchers conduct in-depth interviews with 300 portfolio managers and analysts across Europe. 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.

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.

April 2022: Short list compiled

IR Magazine receives the results 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 23, 2022: Winners announced

And finally… the winners are announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday, June 23, 2022!

June 2022: Report published

Shortly after the awards, the Investor Perception Study – Europe 2022 report is published and made available to IR Magazine subscribers.

 

Who attends our events

Attendees at this event 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.

Below is a sample of some of 2021’s attendees:

Job title Company Job title Company
Assistant director Atrato Head of investor relations AstraZeneca
CEO Nexans Head of investor relations Cyfrowy Polsat
CVP Novo Nordisk Head of investor relations Deutsche EuroShop
Director Makinson Cowell Head of investor relations Polymetal International
Director of financial reporting and IR Great Portland Estates Head of PR & IR Severstal
Director of investor relations Avantium Head of research Zeus Captial
Director of investor relations Britvic Investor relations director InterContinental Hotels
Director of investor relations and FP&A Flutter Entertainment Investor relations director Össur
Director of IR and corporate communication Iberdrola Investor relations director Unilever
Director of public relations, US En+ Group Investor relations director MERLIN Properties
EVP finance, treasury & investor relations Infineon Technologies Investor relations director Valmet
Executive director, North America investor relations BBVA Investor relations director Vodafone
Group communications director Greencore IR ESG director Novartis
Group director, IR Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield IR principal Turkcell
Head of IR & sustainability Cembra President – corporate development Synthomer
Head of communications ArcelorMittal Senior analyst, investor relations Wolters Kluwer
Head of corporate communications National Express Group Senior investor relations officer Royal Dutch Shell
Head of digital engagement Ocado Group Senior vice president investor relations BASF
Head of ESG British American Tobacco SVP finance & investor relations Ocean Yield
Head of integrated thinking and reporting Garanti VP, corporate analysis Odfjell
Head of investor relations Aegon VP, corporate and financial comms Pearson
Head of investor relations SAP VP, investor relations TechnipFMC
Head of investor relations Schneider Electric VP, investor relations Technip Energies
Head of investor relations Subsea 7 VP, IR & corporate strategy Coca-Cola Partners
Head of investor relations Vonovia VP, investor relations Akbank
Head of investor relations and planning Roche VP, IR & corporate communications Aixtron
Head of investor relations BMW Group VP, IR & corporate communications Hyloris Pharmaceuticals

 

Request full past attendee list

Become a partner

Why partner with us?

The IR Magazine Awards – Europe brings together some of the most influential people in the IR community.

Partnering with us is the perfect way to raise your organization’s profile and cement your position in the IR community.

The unique buzz we create at our virtual awards enables you to:

  • Reach thousands of industry leaders through our multi-channel marketing campaign
  • Raise your organization’s profile with unrivalled brand exposure
  • Align yourself with those who excel in the industry

Put your brand in the spotlight and benefit from months of targeted, high profile publicity across multiple channels pre-and post-event.

We’d love to have a chat with you about how you can get in front of a truly engaged and motivated audience through the IR Magazine Awards – Europe. Get in touch with Ross Ingram or call on +44 78 2653 8072.

Inquire about partnership

Partners

Venue

Venue:
8 Northumberland Avenue
London
WC2N 5BY

Dress code:
Black tie

Warning: Please note the event may contain flashing lights or sudden loud sound effects.

Make a day of it: Join our think tank

Taking place on the day 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 each year.

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.

Visit our think tank website

Covid-19 commitment

On arrival

  • All attendees must be prepared, on arrival, to provide one of the following: 
    • Proof of being fully vaccinated, with a second dose administered at least 14 days before the event date, with a recognized Covid-19 vaccine
    • If, for whatever reason, you are unable to provide evidence you have been vaccinated, you MUST provide proof of a negative lateral flow or PCR test. Tests that can be taken at home or at a recognized center, free of charge, should be conducted no more than 48 hours before arriving at the venue 
    • Your data will not be stored by us or the venue; proof can simply be shown to the organizers upon arrival   
  • We will accept various forms of proof and will use a common-sense approach: 
    • For vaccination this includes: 
      • The NHS app 
      • The vaccination record card given to you at the vaccination site 
      • A letter from the NHS – you can request this by calling 119 
      • A letter from a GP showing details of vaccines administered 
    • For the test result, this includes:  
      • An email or text confirming your results 
      • A photograph of the test stick (not the physical stick) 
      • A record of the result shown via the NHS app

After the event

  • If you are confirmed to have Covid-19 within 10 days following the event, we ask that you inform the organizers immediately
  • We are closely monitoring the situation and will continue to update our guidelines accordingly

If you have any questions about the measures in place, please contact [email protected].

BOOK YOUR PLACE WITH CONFIDENCE
If you are unable to attend due to symptoms or testing positive for Covid-19, the following options will be available to you:

  • You can transfer your pass to a colleague
  • You can transfer your booking to the 2023 event
  • You can obtain a full refund

If for any reason IR Magazine has to postpone the event, the following options will be available to you:

  • Your booking will be valid for the new event date
  • If you are unable to attend the rescheduled event, you can transfer your booking to another IR Magazine event taking place in 2022
  • You can obtain a full refund

Please note that IR Magazine is not responsible for individual reimbursement of flights or accommodation arrangements in either of the above scenarios.

Register your interest

Register your interest for the 2022 awards by filling in the form at the link below. You will be the first to receive important updates about the event, including what to expect and information about how to be considered for an award.

If you have any questions, please contact Danielle Gardiner at [email protected] or call +44 20 8090 0556.

 

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST

The nomination deadline is midnight (GMT) on Friday, March 4Submit an entry

Watch the 2021 show

Don’t worry if you missed the 2021 virtual awards ceremony, you can view the full show below.

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.