IR Magazine

IR Magazine Forum – North America
The growing strategic importance of IR post-pandemic action plans

Thursday, October 7, 2021

Virtual event: Available on replay

About the forum

The US and Canada have much more in common than a border crossing. Given the close links in the economies and capital markets of the two countries, we held a first of it’s kind international event which brought together Canadian and US investor relations officers to share best practice and learn from each other.

We heard views from investment professionals in the US and Canada in this unique opportunity to network and share insight across a wider IR network.


AN INTERACTIVE, VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE

This event took place as a virtual experience using our bespoke, cutting-edge technology.

Our virtual event platform closely replicated attending in-person by facilitating interaction with speakers, one-to-one networking with fellow IR professionals, and group roundtable discussions. Going virtual helped you connect with a wider network from the comfort of your desk.

 


NIRI IRC® CREDENTIAL
Holders of the NIRI IRC® credential can earn up to 4 professional development units (PDUs) per day. IRC-credentialed speakers may also earn PDUs. More information is available at www.niri.org/certification.

Agenda

Timings on the agenda are shown in Eastern Time (ET)

View PDF agenda here

 

  • 10:30 AM
    Platform opens: Meet the attendees

  • 10:55 AM
    Welcome to the IR Magazine Forum – North America 2021

    Opening remarks from the chair

    Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine

  • 11:00 AM
    Spotlight on North America: Outlook for stocks and latest buy-side trends

    To keep your finger on the pulse of investor sentiment and capital markets trends as the economy recovers now is a good time to assess the latest happenings in capital markets. In this session, you can:

    • Hear a breakdown of the latest developments regarding inflation and economic recovery across North America
    • Hear how the buy-side is viewing US and Canadian stocks and what the prospects are according to investment managers
    • Understand the mega-trends to be aware of going into 2022.

    Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Chris Varvares, vice president and co-head, US economics, IHS Markit
    Chris Williamson, chief economist, IHS Markit

  • 11:30 AM
    IR engagement, marketing and corporate access: How can IR remain agile?

    As IR engagement calendars gradually return to a more long-term model, before year-end is a good time to assess what the future looks like. What percentage of engagement will be expected to take place in person, what are investors looking for from future issuer engagement, and how is the sell-side planning the calendar for 2022? In this session, you can:

    • Compare company strategies for future hybrid, in-person and virtual interactions over the next few months
    • Hear best practices for ensuring maximum engagement with potential shareholders during periods of continued uncertainty
    • Discuss whether the new blended approach for engagements will fundamentally change how IR and senior leaders interact with key stakeholders.

    Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Mark Chyc-Cies, vice president, strategy, planning and IR, Gibson Energy
    Rob Garrigan, head of corporate services, OpenExchange
    Debbie Hancock, senior vice president of IR, Hasbro

  • 12:15 PM
    Meet the attendees: Networking

    Take some time to meet other attendees via a quick, one-to-one video chat. You have five minutes to introduce yourself and share contact details before you’re on to meeting the next person!

  • 12:30 PM
    Evolving the discussion on ESG: Reporting consolidation and practical steps

    The recent SASB and International Integrated Reporting Council merger contributes to more consolidation on reporting frameworks. Coupled with the rise in investor focus on social and diversity issues and concerns over SEC mandatory reporting, the spotlight on ESG is increasingly visible. This session will move the discussion forward on ESG and give attendees practical insights into operating in the current climate. Attendees can:

    • Discuss the latest developments in the reporting space: what are issuers using to disclose, and what does the recent merger mean for standardization?
    • Learn what stakeholders are currently pushing for and hear expectations on the ideal depth and frequency of investor ESG communication
    • Discover what your primary focus should be as an IRO when it comes to ESG, especially if you’re in the process of taking the initial step to establish a framework.

    Tim Human, senior reporter, IR Magazine
    Milla Craig, founder and president, Millani
    Aaron Howald, director of IR, LP Building Solutions
    Tanya Levy-Odom, director, investment stewardship, BlackRock
    George Trisic, chief governance officer, Algonquin Power & Utilities

  • 13:30 PM
    The great transformation: From investor days to investor experiences

    2020 fundamentally changed the way IR presented their companies to investors. Teams had to adapt quickly to a new way of engaging and responding to the challenges of virtual events. While concerns remain around the effectiveness of virtual investor days, the industry has evolved significantly. To help companies create impactful investor days, this session will give IROs creative insights into:

    • How to reinforce customer-centricity during virtual investor days
    • How to clearly define and monitor your success story
    • The best ways of shaping a strategic narrative for investors and analysts.

    Steve Wade, head of event content, IR Magazine
    Pete Deutschman, chief buddy and chief innovation officer, The Buddy Group and Michaels
    Sam Levenson, founder and CEO, Arbor Advisory Group

  • 14:00 PM
    Case study: Lessons learned from running a large-scale virtual investor day

    As remote events may become a critical function of the IR role, in this session, we will delve into the merits and challenges of running large-scale investor or analyst days and hear from companies that have experienced one. We will discuss:

    • What needs to be considered when planning a hybrid or entirely virtual investor or analyst day, from operations and budgeting to travel hesitancy
    • How to build relationships and maximize virtual engagement while preparing for several potential pitfalls
    • How to measure success to ensure your strategy is working effectively.

    Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Dave Hughes, vice president of IR, Imperial Oil
    Chip Newcom, director of IR and sustainability, Equinix
    Mark Wilson, executive creative director, Cramer

  • 14:45 PM
    Polishing your shareholder ID and targeting strategy

    Considering sell-side changes and increased direct interaction with stakeholders, this session will look at the best ways to improve the effectiveness of your targeting process and find investors that are the right fit for your company. We will discuss the latest routes, tools and tactics to increase visibility and get noticed by the investment community. Attendees can:

    • Hear how, in a more virtual world, IR can balance targeting new investors with maintaining existing relationships with shareholders. Has the presence of virtual increased fund flows over the last year?
    • Understand what the rise of buy-side corporate access and the evolving sell-side mean for IR targeting strategies and how to respond
    • Discuss when to involve senior management in investor meetings and ensure management’s time is being spent effectively across the board.

    Ben Ashwell, editor, Corporate Secretary and IR Magazine
    Katie Durant, senior director of IR, CVS Health
    Balaji Krishnamurthy, head of IR, Uber
    Jason Tsai, vice president of IR, Zendesk

  • 15:30 PM
    Meet the attendees: Networking

    Take some time to meet other attendees via a quick, one-to-one video chat. You have five minutes to introduce yourself and share contact details before you’re on to meeting the next person!

  • 15:45 PM
    STREAM TWO: Global trends in corporate governance – Prioritizing environmental and social issues

    Corporations globally are experiencing more attention to their oversight of climate change risk, human capital management, diversity and equity, and response to activism. In this session, you will hear updates from North America and beyond, proxy season findings and how IR and corporate governance can best work with the board to meet expectations.

    Ben Ashwell, editor, Corporate Secretary and IR Magazine
    Anthony Garcia, director of responsible investing, Nuveen
    Elena Rosman, vice president of IR, Aptiv

  • 15:45 PM
    STREAM ONE: Embracing digital strategies to improve shareholder engagement

    With people spending more time online and increased use of social media as a substitute for daily news, information gathering and trading, the potential marketing benefits of embracing digital strategies are enormous. This session will discuss ideas on best practice shareholder communication strategies, where IR fits into social media marketing and monitoring, and how IR can take inspiration from the companies leading the way with new tech and digital methods.

    Tim Human, senior reporter, IR Magazine
    Richard Babineau, director of issuer solutions, Mediant
    Kelly Earle, vice president of communications, Skeena Resources

  • 16:15 PM
    How to move forward in your career: The evolving strategic importance of IR

    Investor relations has traditionally acted as the critical link between a company and the outside world. As capital markets evolve, however, so does the role of IR and what is expected of investor relations teams. In this session, heads of IR and senior managers will discuss how the IR function is fundamentally changing and how to keep up. You can learn:

    • What the three-year strategy is for IR teams across North America
    • What trends are emerging regarding the career prospects for IR professionals
    • What CEOs/CFOs will be expecting from IR in the future.

    Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Matt Gugino, vice president of IR and financial, planning and analysis, Danaher
    Jill Slattery, senior vice president, head of IR and corporate development, Hilton
    Mike Smith, vice-chair and chief financial officer, Voya

  • 17:00 PM
    Closing remarks and end of forum

    Ben Ashwell, editor, Corporate Secretary and IR Magazine

Speakers

To inquire about speaking at future forums, please contact [email protected] or call +44 20 8004 4818


What our virtual attendees say

"Relevant and timely content, panel discussions were engaging, and sessions were the right length for virtual engagement. Also good to have virtual networking."

WW International

"The platform and technology is great! The panel sessions provided insight on current events and ongoing issues on whether to have events in-person or hybrid. Very helpful."

Canadian Tire Corp

"Crisp. Good subjects. Expert panelists. Good moderators who were well prepared and kept things moving and at a good clip. A lot of content in a short period."

Invitae Corporation

"You did a great job in a tough situation making it fun and engaging. Really wonderful work and congrats to you all."

Etsy

"I was tremendously impressed with the content and also the seamless Hopin platform! Kudos to you and the IR team for pioneering these fantastic virtual events!"

SASB

"Great execution, clear planning, and wonderful networking!"

Telsey Advisory Group

"Hopin was great. Really had the virtual feel of an in-person conference. Loved the speakers. Very diverse backgrounds. A broad spectrum and well-rounded topics."

llumina

"I felt the virtual format was faced paced and moved quickly. The size of the panels was good for different points of views and perspectives.
"

Murphy Oil Corporation

Who attends our virtual events

Our attendees are leading IR practitioners with an established track record and strategic IR role within their company.

Below is a sample of some of our past virtual attendees:

Job Title Company Job Title Company
Associate vice president, investment relations Canadian Tire Corporation Senior vice president, investor relations Wyndham Destinations
Chief financial officer Gibson Energy US chief representative officer Samsung Life Insurance
Chief intelligence analyst, investor relations Cisco Vice president and head of investment relations HP
Deputy chief economist Scotiabank Vice president corporate development MARS Investor Relations
Director, capital markets and IR Metamaterial Vice president, corporate development & IR Qualys
Director, customer engagement Cision Vice president, head of investor relations Manulife Financial
Director, finance and investment relations Martin Midstream Partners Vice president, investment relations Henry Schein
Director, investor relations Home Capital Group Vice president, investment relations Pivotal
Director, investor relations Indeed Vice president, investment relations and corp comm Arcutis
Director, investor relations Universal Display Corporation Vice president, investor relations Aptiv
Director, investor relations Virtu Investments Vice president, investor relations Canopy Growth
Director, sustainability & CSR Coupa Vice president, investor relations CMS Energy
EVP, chief financial officer Omnicell Vice president, investor relations e.l.f. Beauty
Executive vice president and chief financial officer Sinclair Broadcast Group Vice president, investor relations Hughes
Managing director, head of investor relations Annaly Vice president, investor relations Imperial Oil
President & chief executive officer Alvopetro Vice president, investor relations Minera Alamos
Senior director, investment relations & corporate affairs DCP Midstream Vice president, investor relations Okta
Senior director, investor relations Cambium Networks Vice president, investor relations Tailored Brands
Senior vice president Oracle Vice president, investor relations Wabtec
Senior vice president, corporate development and IR Aecon Group Vice president, investor relations & capital markets Eventbrite
Senior vice president, corporate development and IR Aecon Vice president, investor relations & corporate development Norbord
Senior vice president, investor relations Eaton Vice president, IR and corp comms Adverum
Senior vice president, investor relations Hasbro Vice president, investor relations and risk management CooperCompanies


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Become a partner

Why partner with us?

The IR Magazine Forum – North America brings together some of the most influential people in the IR community.

The event offers an effective approach to targeting clients when they are exploring how they can improve their IR practice. Through our unrivalled knowledge of the subject matter and commitment to in-depth agenda research, our events are guaranteed to attract a qualified audience.

The unique buzz we create at our virtual events – a far cry from a webinar – makes them multi-faceted and highly interactive with great engagement in particular from heads of IR. This allows our partners to have meaningful conversations with corporates who are deciding which parts of their IR program to invest in, which service providers to engage and consultants to retain. By partnering with us on an event, you can generate leads, showcase your thought leadership and position yourselves as the partner of choice to the IR community.

We’d love to have a chat with you about how you can get in front of a truly engaged and motivated audience at the IR Magazine Forum – North America. Get in touch with Adam Dar or call on +1 212 430 6895.

In the last 12 months, IR Magazine’s virtual events have attracted the highest, most diverse and senior attendees and experts in investor relations

 

Download the partnership prospectus

Partners

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If you have any questions, please contact Chloë Rutter at [email protected] or +44 20 3002 0396.

 

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