IR Magazine Forum & Awards
South East Asia

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Venue to be announced

Register your interest for 2023

About the forum & awards

For the past three decades, IR Magazine has honored excellence in investor relations around the world. For 2023, we continue to recognize and help further IR best practice. Over 150 senior IR professionals will join us from across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand – this internationally renowned event will look at the very best the IR community has to offer through our forum and awards.

THE FORUM

The event will kick off with a forum where investors, analysts and heads of IR from small, mid and large cap companies come together to discuss key issues relating to investor relations, corporate governance, shareholder needs and the role of senior management in IR. The forum sessions will be followed by our awards ceremony.

THE AWARDS

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 in South East Asia. 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 do the best IR in the region.

In our nominated categories, companies had the opportunity to submit a written entry for aspects of IR that complement our researched categories. More information can be found in the sections below.

Agenda: 2022

We will be announcing our 2023 agenda in due course. In the meantime, click here to to see the full agenda as a PDF.

All times are in Singapore time.

09:15 AM
Opening remarks: Welcome to the forum

James Beech, editor in chief, IR Magazine
09:20 AM
Capital market and macro-economic trends to prepare for in 2023
In a time of geopolitical turmoil and market uncertainty, this session focuses on the outlook for IR teams in 2023 from the perspective of an economist from Hong Kong on the wider region – and how IROs can prepare for the year ahead.
- Hear about current market trends in Asia and predictions for the coming 12 months
- Discover impact of global geopolitical challenges on the IR function in the wider Asian region
- Learn about the regulatory outlook in 2023 and how this affects fund flows and investor sentiment
Helen Qiao, chief economist, head of Asia economic research, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
09:50 AM
Online or on the road? How to plan your 2023 IR calendar
Since the COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses to switch in-person events to online, many companies have begun to recognize the myriad benefits of virtual working. This session will consider taking a truly hybrid approach to IR and re-writing the rule book on effectively engaging with current and future investors.
- Discover how other IR professionals have adapted to the challenges and opportunities of the new virtual landscape
- Learn how to take your virtual engagement to the next level and build strong relationships with your target audience
- Find out how best to utilize your management’s time and resources within a virtual framework
Moderator: Tim Human, senior reporter, IR Magazine

Christine Lau, head of investor relations, Celcom Digi

Affryll Teo, head of investor relations, sustainability & mergers and acquisitions, Tune Protect Group
10:40 AM
Networking break
10:55 AM
Tech-talk: Enhancing your digital IR strategy
Events from the past two years have increased the importance of a digital presence for investor relations. Opportunities for investor relations officers increase as technology advances, and this session helps you understand how investor relations teams are changing their approach to technology and IR websites.
- Discover how investor expectations of IR websites are changing
- Stay updated on the latest technology trends impacting investor relations
- Learn about how companies are adapting their digital technical toolkit to achieve their goals better
Moderator: Tim Human, senior reporter, IR Magazine

Ben Riley, UK business development specialist, Lumi Global
11:25 AM
Best practices and expectations from IR teams: What makes for good IR?
During this session, we examine the lessons learned this year by IROs and investors alike whilst discussing what best practice looks like in difficult times.
- Discuss what issues are facing the market currently and how these are likely to change in 2023
- Hear how to build strong relationships with your investor base and communicate with them effectively
- Discover the best methods of targeting your desired investor audience
Moderator: Laurence Taylor, senior conference producer, IR Magazine

Peter Sandham, portfolio manager, Arcus Investment Asia

Siew Lu Wong, head of investor relations and sustainability, United Hampshire US REIT
12:10 PM
Closing remarks and networking

James Beech, editor in chief, IR Magazine
12:30 PM
IR Magazine's South East Asia Awards
14:00 PM
End of forum and awards

Awards by nomination

For our awards-by-nomination categories, individuals and companies are given the opportunity to submit written entries to be put forward to a panel of expert judges made up of investment professionals and IR Magazine editorial team members.

If you have any questions, please contact Lauren Wilson at [email protected] or call +44 20 8004 5339 .

Click here to view the full list of 2022 winners.

Nominated categories
Panel of Judges

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. Market cap breakdown: Small cap = below US$1 bn / Mid-cap = between US$1 bn -US$7.49 bn / Large cap = US$7.5 bn and over

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. Market cap breakdown: Small cap = below US$1 bn / Mid-cap = between US$1 bn -US$7.49 bn / Large cap = US$7.5 bn and over

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. Market cap breakdown: Small cap = below US$1 bn / Mid-cap = between US$1 bn -US$7.49 bn / Large cap = US$7.5 bn and over

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 (large cap)

With investors increasingly integrating ESG criteria into their investment decisions, your firm has successfully ramped up its communications strategy about non-financial performance. Judges will be looking at how you tackle integrated thinking and reporting on the issues material to your business. Market cap breakdown: Small cap = below US$1 bn / Mid-cap = between US$1 bn -US$7.49 bn / Large cap = US$7.5 bn and over

Best ESG materiality reporting (mid-cap)

With investors increasingly integrating ESG criteria into their investment decisions, your firm has successfully ramped up its communications strategy about non-financial performance. Judges will be looking at how you tackle integrated thinking and reporting on the issues material to your business. Market cap breakdown: Small cap = below US$1 bn / Mid-cap = between US$1 bn -US$7.49 bn / Large cap = US$7.5 bn and over

Best ESG materiality reporting (small cap)

With investors increasingly integrating ESG criteria into their investment decisions, your firm has successfully ramped up its communications strategy about non-financial performance. Judges will be looking at how you tackle integrated thinking and reporting on the issues material to your business. Market cap breakdown: Small cap = below US$1 bn / Mid-cap = between US$1 bn -US$7.49 bn / Large cap = US$7.5 bn and over

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

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

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

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

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 five years and has less than 10 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 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.

Click here to view the judges biographies.

Joshua Lee

Director of asset management, Equinix

Professor Roy Ling

CEO & founder, FollowTrade

Vijay Natarajan

Analyst – real estate & REITs

Jeannie Ong

Group chief investor relations officer, MyRepublic

James Beech

Editor-in-chief, IR Magazine

What our attendees say

"Well done for a great awards ceremony and the talks were informative too."

Elite Commercial REIT

"Interesting and relevant panels."

Manulife US REIT

"The event was excellent. Big credit to all of you at IR magazine."

PTT Global Chemical Public Company

"Smoothly run and well moderated with highly relevant and engaging topics."

Tune Protect Group

"Congratulations to the team for a very well-organised event"

Tulchan

"The event ran smoothly and was fantastic."

KASIKORNBANK

"As a first timer I found the forums during the event very insightful. A lot of knowledge was shared, inspiring."

Petronas Chemicals Group

"So very well organized, program scheduling was fast-paced but very insightful, plus the panel speakers were very engaging."

Aboitiz Equity Ventures

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 the South East Asia region. 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.

Please click on the tabs below to view the research timeline. 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].

If you have any questions, please contact Lauren Wilson at [email protected] or call +44 20 8004 5339 .

Click here to view the full list of 2022 winners.

Researched categories
How the winners are chosen

Best overall investor relations (large cap)

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program. Market cap breakdown: Small cap = below US$1 bn / Mid-cap = between US$1 bn -US$7.49 bn / Large cap = US$7.5 bn and over

Best overall investor relations (mid-cap)

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program. Market cap breakdown: Small cap = below US$1 bn / Mid-cap = between US$1 bn -US$7.49 bn / Large cap = US$7.5 bn and over

Best overall investor relations (small cap)

This category covers companies that have most impressed the investment community with their overall IR program. Market cap breakdown: Small cap = below US$1 bn / Mid-cap = between US$1 bn -US$7.49 bn / Large cap = US$7.5 bn and over

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. Market cap breakdown: Small cap = below US$1 bn / Mid-cap = between US$1 bn -US$7.49 bn / Large cap = US$7.5 bn and over

Best investor relations officer (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. Market cap breakdown: Small cap = below US$1 bn / Mid-cap = between US$1 bn -US$7.49 bn / Large cap = US$7.5 bn and over

Best investor relations officer (small 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. Market cap breakdown: Small cap = below US$1 bn / Mid-cap = between US$1 bn -US$7.49 bn / Large cap = US$7.5 bn and over

Best in sector: communications

Best in sector: consumer discretionary

Best in sector: consumer staples

Best in sector: energy

Best in sector: financials (including real estate)

Best in sector: healthcare

Best in sector: industrials

Best in sector: materials

Best in sector: technology

Best in sector: utilities

Our awards by research are different from most others and also 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, canvassing the opinions of the people who matter to you most.

May-August: Online survey
IR Magazine has been building investment community databases over the past 30 years. As part of the updating process, listed companies are contacted every year for details of the professionals who currently cover their stock. IR Magazine then conducts an electronic survey of buy-side and sell-side analysts and portfolio managers. Each survey respondent is asked to nominate and rank up to five companies in a host of different research categories, from best IRO to best reporting.

September-October: Results analysis & short lists announced
Analysis of the results begins once the survey stage of the research is complete. Points are allocated to each company depending on how frequently it is nominated. The companies with the highest point scores in each individual awards category make the short list for that award. The top company will go on to win the award. Best-in-sector awards are determined by the highest aggregate scores across all research categories.

The IR Magazine awards team receives the results and contacts all short listed companies to give them the good news. The short lists are then published to the entire IR community a month before the event.

December: Winners announced
The winners are announced at our awards ceremony, which is attended by the leading lights of the Asian investor relations community.

January: Report published
After the event the Investor Perception Study – Asia 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 more information around the investor survey, please contact [email protected]

Who attends our events

The majority of our attendees are heads of IR from across South East Asia who are being recognized for their fantastic contribution to IR. Each participant is someone with an established track record and a strategic IR role within their company.

Below is a sample of our past attendees:

Job title	Company	Job title	Company
Assistant director, IR	Bangkok Dusit Medical Services	Head of investor relations	AboitizPower
Assistant vice president, investor relations	Elite Commercial REIT Management	Head of investor relations	Astra International
AVP of IR office	Charoen Pokphand Foods	Head of investor relations	CapitaLand China Trust
AVP strategic planning and investor relations	Indorama Ventures	Head of investor relations	CP All
CEO	FollowTrade	Head of investor relations	Thai Union Group
CEO	IR Advantage	Head of investor relations	CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust
CFO	Siamese Asset Public Company	Head of investor relations	CapitaLand Investment
Chief financial officer	AEM	Head of investor relations	StarHub
Chief IRO	MyRepublic	Senior AVP	Astro Malaysia Holdings
Chief strategy officer	Capital A	SVP corporate secretary	PT PP (Persero)
Director of asset management	Equinix	Vice president – corporate finance & IR	PTT Global Chemical
Executive director of sustainability	YTL Corporation	Vice president of investor relations	Berli Jucker
Executive director	Bumitama Agri	Vice president, investor relations	PTT
Group director – IR	Minor International	Vice president/head of investor relations	Metro Pacific Investments Corporation

Request full attendee list

Forum: Speakers 2022

To inquire about speaking at a future forum, please contact [email protected] or call +44 20 3865 8103.

Helen Qiao
Chief Greater China economist, head of Asia economic research
Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Helen Qiao is a managing director and chief economist for Greater China and head of Asia Economics Research, based in Hong Kong. Prior to that, Qiao spent more than six years at Goldman Sachs as senior China economist and four years at Morgan Stanley as chief Greater China economist. Previously, she worked at the World Bank Group (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) in Washington DC and Lehman Brothers in Tokyo. Qiao has written a wide range of thematic research papers on China. Her work has been published in media and in academic journals, such as The Journal of Policy Modeling. Her team has been ranked top-three in the Institutional Investor All Asia research team surveys in 2013-18 consecutively and No.1 in Asia economic research in the Institutional Investor Global Fixed Income survey in 2019. Qiao holds a BA degree in international trade from the Renmin University of China, and Masters degree and a PhD in economics from Stanford University. Helen is currently serving as a member on the Advisory Council of Bretton Woods Committee, which works to demonstrate the value of international economic cooperation and spur economic growth, alleviate poverty, and improve financial stability. For more information about any awards cited, visit https://rsch.baml.com/awards.
Ben Riley
UK business development specialist
LUMI

Ben Riley is one of the UK’s leading AGM and Investor Relations experts and has wide ranging experience of delivering successful AGMs and shareholder engagement days across the global marketplace, acting for both Issuers and non-listed organisations.

His technical expertise has helped companies successfully harness the power of virtual and hybrid meetings and, coupled with Lumi’s leading on-premise capabilities, has delivered hundreds of successful physical, hybrid and virtual AGMs and Investor Relations meetings.
Peter Sandham
Portfolio manager
Arcus Investment Asia

Peter joined Arcus Investment in 2008 and has been portfolio manager of the group’s Asia Pacific equity strategy since 2018. He is a Chartered Accountant and CFA charter holder. Currently based in Malaysia, he has previously worked in Hong Kong and London.
Christine Lau
Head of investor relations
Celcom Digi

Christine Lau is the Head of Investor Relations for Celcom Digi, one of the largest telecommunications companies in Malaysia and overseeing the complete investor relations program. Prior to this, she was the Head of Investor Relations for Sime Darby Property Berhad for two years and have also served in various roles relating to Financial Analysis, Budgeting and Value Management for Sime Darby Group. Christine is a young and agile leader who specializes in integrated corporate reporting, financial analysis and communication, stakeholder management and crisis communication.
Affryll Teo
Head of investor relations, sustainability & mergers and acquisitions
Tune Protect Group

Affryll has over 17 years of professional experience mainly in the financial services sector having started his career with a Big 4 accounting firm. Throughout his career, he has worn different hats such as business finance, strategy, corporate planning, business development and investor relations. Affryll currently heads the investor relations function of Tune Protect Group, a vertically integrated insurer listed on Bursa Malaysia with presence across 60 markets around the world. In recent times, he has also taken on the function of sustainability as well as Mergers and Acquisitions, as the Group’s increased focus on ESG matters and expansion for growth aligns with what investors want to hear. Under his stewardship, the Group was inducted in the FTSE4Good Bursa Malaysia Index in December 2021 and has won the MSWG-ASEAN Corporate Governance Award for 3 years running.

Affryll graduated from Multimedia University with a Bachelor of Accounting (Hons). He also holds a Master of Science (Project Management) awarded by Curtin University. Affryll is both a Fellow with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and is a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA).
Siew Lu Wong
Head of investor relations and sustainability
United Hampshire US REIT

Ms Wong is responsible for managing the Investor Relations, Communications and Sustainability functions of UHREIT. As the key liaison between UHREIT and the investment community, Ms Wong nurtures relationships with institutional and retail investors, research analysts and the media, as well as facilitates two-way communication with the investment community. In addition, she works with the management team to develop and implement UHREIT’s sustainability strategy.

She brings over 15 years of extensive international experience in investor relations, capital markets (buy-side), corporate banking, and has been actively involved in capital raising, M&A transactions, corporate strategy and business development.
Ms Wong had extensive international exposure to various industries and roles, having worked and lived in 6 countries over the course of her career. Prior to joining the Manager, she was the Head of Investor Relations and Capital Markets in Sasseur REIT. At Sasseur REIT, she was instrumental in profiling the REIT to be the top 5 performing SREIT in 2019.

Early in her career, Ms Wong held corporate banking positions at National Australia Bank as well as investment analyst positions at asset management firms, before heading the investor relations role at SGX Mainboard-listed oil and gas company, Falcon Energy Group Limited.

Ms Wong holds Bachelor of Applied Science degree (Computational Finance) from National University of Singapore. She is Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Accountant of Singapore and is a member of Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountant.

Become a partner

Why partner with us?

The IR Magazine Forum & Awards – South East Asia 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 forums – 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.

Not forgetting the unique buzz we create at our virtual awards, becoming a partner will enable 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 at the IR Magazine Forum & Awards – South East Asia. Get in touch with Ross Ingram or call on +44 78265 38072.

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

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IR Magazine Forum & AwardsSouth East Asia

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

About the forum & awards

THE FORUM

THE AWARDS

Agenda: 2022