IR Magazine
IR Magazine Awards – Europe

IR Magazine Awards ‒ Europe
Celebrating IR excellence

Thursday, June 20, 2019

8 Northumberland Avenue, London

About the IR Magazine awards

The IR Magazine Awards – Europe 2019 took place in London on June 20 to once again honor excellence in the investor relations profession. The prestigious ceremony, now in its 29th year, hosted the best of the IR community from across Europe – and what a fantastic evening we had! Congratulations to the 2019 winners!

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 once again presented 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. To be the first to know about the 2020 nomination process register your interest here.

Awards by Research

WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

We are pleased to announce the winners of this year's awards!
View the entire list of winners and nominees here.

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.

Best overall investor relations (small to mid-cap)

Best overall investor relations (small to mid-cap)

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

Nominees

  • DCC

  • EDP Renováveis

  • HUGO BOSS

    WINNER

  • Lanxess

  • REN – Redes Energéticas Nacionais

  • Umicore

Best overall investor relations (large cap)

Best overall investor relations (large cap)

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

Nominees

  • Allianz

  • AstraZeneca

  • Deutsche Post DHL

  • EDP – Energias de Portugal

  • Iberdrola

    WINNER

  • Novo Nordisk

  • Total

Best investor relations officer (small to mid-cap)

Best investor relations officer (small to mid-cap)

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.

Nominees

  • Rui Antunes, EDP Renováveis

  • César García & Antonio Velázquez-Gaztelu, Enagás

  • Christian Stöhr, HUGO BOSS

  • Olli Turunen, Kemira

  • Oliver Stratmann, Lanxess

    WINNER

  • Harry Stokes, SEGRO

Best investor relations officer (large cap)

Best investor relations officer (large cap)

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.

Nominees

  • Christian Lamprecht & Oliver Schmidt, Allianz

  • Thomas Kudsk Larsen, AstraZeneca

  • Sergio Gámez, Banco Santander

  • Miguel Viana, EDP – Energias de Portugal

  • Ignacio Cuenca & Diego Morón, Iberdrola

    WINNER

  • Gunhild Grieve & Martin Vahlbrock, RWE

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.

Nominees

  • BT Group

  • Deutsche Telekom

    WINNER

  • Orange

  • Telefónica

  • Vodafone Group

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.

Nominees

  • adidas

    WINNER

  • HUGO BOSS

  • IHG

  • Kering

  • LVMH

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.

Nominees

  • Carlsberg

  • Heineken

  • L'Oréal

  • Nestlé

    WINNER

  • Unilever

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.

Nominees

  • DCC

  • Galp Energia

  • Ørsted

  • Royal Dutch Shell

  • Total

    WINNER

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.

Nominees

  • Allianz

    WINNER

  • Banco Santander

  • Munich Re

  • Sberbank

  • UniCredit

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.

Nominees

  • AstraZeneca

  • Fresenius

  • Novartis

  • Novo Nordisk

    WINNER

  • Roche Holdings

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.

Nominees

  • Airbus Groupe

  • Deutsche Post DHL

    WINNER

  • DSV

  • KONE Corporation

  • Siemens

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.

Nominees

  • BASF

    WINNER

  • DSM

  • K+S Group

  • Lanxess

  • Sika Group

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.

Nominees

  • Aroundtown

  • British Land Company

  • Great Portland Estates

    WINNER

  • Merlin Properties

  • SEGRO

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.

Nominees

  • ASML

  • Atos

  • SAP

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.

Nominees

  • ČEZ Group

  • EDP – Energias de Portugal

  • Enel

  • Iberdrola

    WINNER

  • RWE

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

WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

We are pleased to announce the winners of this year's awards!
View the entire list of winners and nominees here.

For our awards-by-nomination categories, individuals and companies were 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.

Click here to be notified when nominations open for next year.

 

 

Best annual report (small cap)

Best annual report (small cap)

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.

Nominees

  • Arix Bioscience

  • EMIS Group

  • Halfords Group

  • Henry Boot

  • Severfield

    WINNER

  • Trifast

Best annual report (mid-cap)

Best annual report (mid-cap)

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.

Nominees

  • Britvic

    WINNER

  • Countryside Properties

  • Hays

  • HUGO BOSS

  • Marshalls

Best annual report (large cap)

Best annual report (large cap)

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.

Nominees

  • adidas

  • Anglo American

  • AstraZeneca

  • Repsol

  • Royal Dutch Shell

  • Royal Philips

    WINNER

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.

Nominees

  • Banco Santander

    WINNER

  • En+ Group

  • Ferrovial

  • McCarthy & Stone

  • trivago

  • Tüpras

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.

Nominees

  • BASF

  • Dogus Otomotiv

  • MOL Group

  • Polymetal International

  • Repsol

  • Royal Dutch Shell

  • Royal Philips

  • Schneider Electric

    WINNER

Best investor event (small to mid-cap)

Best investor event (small to mid-cap)

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.

Nominees

  • Cargotec

    WINNER

  • HUGO BOSS

  • Nokian Tyres

  • TUI Group

  • Umicore

  • Valmet

Best investor event (large cap)

Best investor event (large cap)

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.

Nominees

  • Aegon

  • Banco Santander

  • HSBC Holdings

  • Kerry Group

  • Unilever

    WINNER

  • Vonovia

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.

Nominees

  • Ahlsell

  • Avast

    WINNER

  • BASF

  • BP

  • Euronav

  • GlaxoSmithKline

Best IR website (small cap)

Best IR website (small cap)

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.

Nominees

  • Apax Global Alpha

  • Halfords Group

  • Inland Homes

  • John Laing Environmental Assets Group

  • Northgate Group

    WINNER

  • Sound Energy

  • Trifast

  • Tyman

Best IR website (mid-cap)

Best IR website (mid-cap)

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.

Nominees

  • Aeroflot

  • Hays

  • HUGO BOSS

  • TUI Group

  • Valmet

    WINNER

Best IR website (large cap)

Best IR website (large cap)

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.

Nominees

  • Banco Santander

  • BASF

    WINNER

  • Garanti Bank

  • Nornickel

  • RBS

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.

Nominees

  • Hays

    WINNER

  • RBS

  • Repsol

  • Royal Dutch Shell

  • Valmet

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.  

Nominees

  • Charlotte Parry, Arix Bioscience

  • Eduardo García, Meliá Hotels International

  • Juan Gómez Vega, Neinor Homes

  • Claire Hawkins, Phoenix Group

  • Calle Loikkanen, Valmet

    WINNER

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

Who attended?

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 attending this year. Some of the companies that attended include:

Job title Company name Job title Company name
Assistant company secretary Henry Boot Head of investor relations Lloyds Banking Group
Assistant company secretary AstraZeneca Head of investor relations Phoenix Group Holdings
Assistant director IFC Group Head of investor relations REN – Redes Energéticas Nacionais
Business development consultant Design Portfolio Head of investor relations RWE
Business development manager EQS Group Head of investor relations SEGRO
Capital markets & IR manager Neinor Homes Head of investor relations Tesco
CEO CMi2i Head of investor relations Umicore
CEO, EMEA Orient Capital Head of investor relations William Hill
Chairperson ABIRD Head of investor relations TUI Group
Chief commodity trading strategy En+ Metals Head of investor relations TUI Group
Client director EQS Group Head of investor relations and comms Euronav
Client relationship director Jones and Palmer Head of investor relations and comms Orange
Client relationship director Jones and Palmer Head of IR services RD:IR
Co-Head of client relations, EMEA Orient Capital Head of marketing Trifast
Co-Head of client relations, EMEA Orient Capital Head of PR, brand and corporate comms EMIS Group
Co-head of investment trusts Blackrock Head of research Zeus Capital
Company secretary Henry Boot Head of sales and marketing, EMEA Orient Capital
Company Secretary Polymetal International Investor relations IHG Group
Consultant Jones and Palmer Investor relations director McCarthy and Stone
Consultant Jones and Palmer Investor relations manager Erste Group Bank
Corporate access AstraZeneca Investor relations manager Ferrovial
Corporate accountant & company secretary Trifast Investor relations manager GlaxoSmithKline
Creative lead Jones and Palmer Investor relations manager GlaxoSmithKline
Creative lead Jones and Palmer Investor relations manager Hays
Digital director Design Portfolio Investor relations manager HSBC Holdings
Director CMi2i Investor relations manager Kerry Group
Director EcoAct Investor relations manager Lomsko Pivo
Director capital markets & strategic initiatives En+ Consult Investor relations manager Novo Nordisk
Director of communications McCarthy and Stone Investor relations manager Phoenix Group Holdings
Director of corporate messaging, IR Jones and Palmer Investor relations manager Umicore
Director of financial communications LVMH Investor relations manager Virgin Atlantic
Director of investor relations AstraZeneca IR IHG Group
Director of investor relations AstraZeneca IR director MTS
Director of investor relations AstraZeneca IR manager – AGA Apax Partners
Director of investor relations AstraZeneca IR officer Orange
Director of investor relations Credit Suisse IR services researcher RD:IR
Director of investor relations Merlin Properties IRO MOL
Director of investor relations Merlin Properties Junior IR manager TUI Group
Director of investor relations Valmet Managing director EQS Group
Director of strategy, M&A and IR TUI Group Managing director Leaders Arena
DR team JP Morgan Managing director RD:IR
DR team JP Morgan Managing director Rothschild & Co
DR team JP Morgan Managing director, EMEA D.F. King
DR team JP Morgan Marketing & business development executive RD:IR
Finance director Inland Homes Marketing, comms and events manager MEIRA
Financial risk manager Novo Nordisk Media and external affairs manager Umicore
Global head of IR GlaxoSmithKline PA, corporate development and IR AstraZeneca
Group communications & brand coordinator Henry Boot Project manager Jones and Palmer
Group director of investor relations Unibail Rodamco Westfield Regional manager UK & Ireland Business Wire
Group finance director Henry Boot Senior consultant EcoAct
Group financial accountant Northgate Senior consultant Fairvue Partners
Group financial controller Arix Bioscience Senior director of investor relations AstraZeneca
Group financial controller Northgate Senior investor relations manager K+S
Head of audit, enabling units & IT AstraZeneca Senior investor relations manager Schneider Electric
Head of business development CMi2i Senior investor relations manager Sika
Head of EMEA issuer services RD:IR Senior investor relations manager Tesco
Head of global banking VTB Capital Senior investor relations manager HSBC Holdings
Head of HR Henry Boot Senior investor relations officer Royal Dutch Shell
Head of international listings NYSE Senior IR manager – UK, Ireland & Americas TUI Group
Head of investor relations Anglo Pacific Group Senior IR officer Royal Dutch Shell
Head of investor relations Arix Bioscience Senior vice president, investor relations BASF
Head of investor relations AstraZeneca Strategic financial PR and IR adviser Montfort
Head of investor relations BT Group Trainee shareholder analyst RD:IR
Head of investor relations BT Group Vice president BNY Mellon
Head of investor relations En+ Consult Vice president – depositary receipts BNY Mellon
Head of investor relations Equinor Vice president, investor relations Cargotec
Head of investor relations Garanti Bank Vice president, investor relations Kemira
Head of investor relations Gruppo Banca Sistema Vice president, investor relations Kone
Head of investor relations K+S VP IR Europe Royal Dutch Shell
Head of investor relations Kerry Group VP, senior business development manager BNY Mellon

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 the 2020 awards 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.

Highlights

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