IR Magazine

IR Magazine Forum & Awards
South East Asia

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

voco Orchard Singapore

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 joined us from across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand – this internationally renowned event looked at the very best the IR community has to offer through our forum and awards.

THE FORUM

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


THE AWARDS

We presented two types of award categories – researched and nominated – both celebrating the success of those individuals and companies that were leading the way in IR in South East Asia. For our researched categories, companies do not submit nominations. Instead, hundreds of analysts and investors casted 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: 2023

We are proud to present our 2023 agenda, click here to see the full agenda as a PDF.

All times are in Singapore time.

  • 08:00 AM
    Registration, breakfast and networking

  • 08:45 AM
    Opening remarks: Welcome to the forum

    Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine

  • 08:50 AM
    Re-thinking IR in a new investment landscape

    Unstable markets, the ripple effect of US-China relations on the region, and an increasing number of family offices in South East Asia has created a unique environment where issuers need to change their investor targeting, communication and engagement strategies to win the competition for capital.

    Specifically designed to keep you updated with today’s investment trends, our opening session explores how the investment landscape is changing, the impact on issuers in South East Asia and how IR teams can adapt their practices to win in an ever-changing environment.

    • Identify opportunities by learning which investors are most active in equities in South East Asia
    • Learn how changes in the Greater China region are impacting fund flows and competition for capital in South East Asia
    • Discover how to win as an IRO and measure your success in volatile times

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Nicole Chen, head of investor relations, CapitaLand China Trust
    Jason Paltrowitz, director and executive vice president of corporate services, OTC Markets Group

  • 09:15 AM
    Reimagining investor targeting: Optimizing your engagement strategy

    In today’s market environment finding fund managers who are best positioned to invest in your company is critical and requires an analytical and methodical approach.

    In this session, we will explore going beyond peer analysis to provide insight into how to use alternative data to enhance your success during investor meetings.

    • Go beyond peer evaluation and learn how to use alternative data sets to identify key investment targets
    • Make better use of management’s time by identifying the conferences and investor engagements that yield the biggest returns
    • Prepare your roadshows better by understanding which portfolio managers will make a significant difference to your stock and how best to engage with investors that can have the biggest impact on your share price

    Moderator: Laurence Taylor, senior conference producer, IR Magazine
    Manoj Gurbuxani, deputy chief financial officer, Mega Lifesciences
    Owen Holden, senior associate of investor engagement, Nasdaq
    Francis Rego, senior vice president of finance, Mega Lifesciences

  • 09:45 AM
    Financial communication in difficult times: How to build credibility and trust

    During periods of volatility, the mindset of investors and analysts becomes more risk-averse and they require additional assurance to take positions in companies.

    Whether it is the impact of interest rates on balance sheets and growth outlook, liquidity concerns or supply chain challenges, a difficult market environment is also an opportunity for IR teams, and their management to build trust and credibility with the capital markets.

    This session explores how best to communicate during difficult times, and how to measure the success of your IR efforts.

    • Understand your audience: Learn how to adapt your messaging to address what issues are top of mind for analysts and investors in today’s environment
    • Learn about the metrics required to help the buyside and sell-side make more informed decisions
    • Learn how to communicate forward-looking prospects effectively relative to the region and your peers
    • Learn how to measure success from your communications efforts in difficult times

    Moderator: Steven Wade, head of content, IR Magazine
    Elena Arabadjieva, chief operating officer and head of investor relations, Cromwell European REIT
    Myrose April Victor, senior manager for investor relations and corporate development, Century Pacific Food, Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures

  • 10:15 AM
    Networking break & refreshments

  • 10:45 AM
    Using AI to supercharge your IR program

    Artificial intelligence is a tool that can revolutionize your investor relations efforts providing efficiencies and allowing IROs to focus on strategy and relationships.

    However, due to the number of potential use cases for IR, with few examples of implementation, it is difficult for IR teams to prioritize their efforts in this area and identify risks and opportunities.

    This session will demonstrate how companies are using generative AI to improve the efficiency, quality and output of their IR activities, and discuss the future possibilities for the technology within the IR profession.

    • Understand which areas of IR can be most effective with the addition of AI
    • Hear case studies about how IR teams are using AI within their IR programs and hear practical advice about how to implement AI safely into your IR activities
    • Discover how to navigate the security concerns, limitations and risks when using artificial intelligence

    Moderator: Steven Wade, head of content, IR Magazine
    Erik Carlson, chief financial officer and chief operating officer, Notified
    Craig Dougas, vice president of depositary receipts, BNY Mellon
    Chai Hung Yin, assistant vice president of investor relations, Elite Commercial REIT Management

  • 11:15 AM
    The evolution of ESG data and disclosure in South East Asia

    Developments in the regulatory and framework space are affecting the way investors, issuers and key stakeholders in the ESG ecosystem consume data produced by public companies.

    This session examines how the sustainability reporting landscape is changing, and how companies can react as it relates to their collection and management of ESG data.

    • Learn how the ESG reporting requirements are changing for companies in South East Asia
    • Understand the impact that the launch of the ISSB standards and Taskforce for Nature-related financial disclosures will have on issuers in the region
    • Learn how to prepare, manage and publish data in the current environment and learn how to utilize your ESG data to attract capital to your organization

    Moderator: Laurence Taylor, Senior conference producer, IR Magazine
    Bharat Joshi, chief financial officer, Cimory Group
    Joshua Lee, portfolio manager, Lombard Odier Group
    Bong Yap Kim, senior technical director, sustainability reporting office, Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority

  • 11:45 AM
    Storytelling: Benchmark your digital IR strategy

    Storytelling: Benchmark your digital IR strategy
    The buyside’s use of IR websites, social media, podcasts and digital media continues to grow in importance, and telling your story effectively, in an engaging way to the right people is increasingly critical for success in investor relations.

    This session will teach you how to produce content online, that engages your key stakeholders in the relevant channels, ensuring that you’re telling your company story most effectively to more people.

    • Understand how best to build your presence in an increasingly digitalized world and keep up-to-date with changes in company websites
    • Learn how to use different digital channels effectively and manage misinformation about your company online
    • Hear advice on producing content in a narrative form that speaks to all of your stakeholders
    • Discover how companies are using rich media to enhance their audiences’ experience and increase engagement

    Moderator: Laurence Taylor, senior conference producer, IR Magazine
    Jeanette Pang, head of investor relations and capital markets, Sasseur REIT
    Wong Siew Lu, head of investor relations and sustainability, United Hampshire US REIT
    Pattarawan Sookplang, associate director of investor relations, CP Axtra Public company

  • 12:15 PM
    Investor engagement strategies for success in a hybrid environment

    IR Magazine research has shown that both virtual and in-person participation by Asian IR teams is lower than the global average. Additionally, looking forward, IROs in Asia plan to hold more virtual engagements than IROs in the Americas and Europe.

    Most people recognize the benefit of meeting face-to-face, particularly with new and potential investors while also recognizing the cost and efficiency benefits of virtual engagement. This session explores how to make hybrid IR a success in terms of deepening relationships with new and existing shareholders.

    • Discover how other IR professionals have adapted to the challenges and opportunities of the new hybrid 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: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Oliver Bampfield, managing director, Lumi Global
    Vikash Jalan, head of IR and vice president of strategic planning, Indorama Ventures
    Affryll Teo, head of investor relations, sustainability and corporate development, Tune Protect Group

  • 12:45 PM
    Closing remarks

    Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine

  • 13:00 PM
    Networking lunch

  • 14:00 PM
    IR Magazine Awards – South East Asia | Winners Ceremony

  • 15:00 PM
    End of forum and awards

Forum: Speakers

Award winning IR experts from South East Asia and beyond


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 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.

Winners announced!

We are delighted to announce the list of 2023 winners. View the full list by clicking here.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected] or +44 20 8004 4989.

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, consistency/complementarity, and improvement 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

Best crisis management

Have you recently dealt with an unexpected event threatening your company's business or reputation? Tell us about your ‘crisis ready’ plan, the strategy you implemented when the storm hit, and how the IR team’s actions successfully protected or restored shareholder value.

Best ESG reporting

Best ESG reporting

Companies face growing demands to inform investors about the risk and opportunities - they face from a range of ESG issues. Describe how your company was able to meet the demands of shareholders looking for substance in ESG reporting?

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.

Best IR during a corporate transaction

Best IR during a corporate transaction

How did your IR team go above and beyond to support a recent corporate transaction? Let us know the details. We’ll be looking at the IR team’s involvement in crafting/releasing the messaging for the financial markets and how it organized outreach and dialogue to gain approval from key shareholders.

Best IR website

Best IR website

The IR website is the first point of contact for an IRO’s audience. We want to hear from companies that have developed a best-in-class website displaying top-notch customer experience, engaging content that meets analysts’ and investors’ needs, and multiplatform access.

Best use of multimedia for IR

Best use of multimedia for IR

Are you a tech-savvy IRO always looking out for cutting-edge technological solutions for IR? Describe the innovative ways you have incorporated video, audio, infographics or webcasts into your IR program. Judges will be looking for evidence of heightened investor and analyst engagement via these channels.

Rising star

Rising star

This award seeks to honor individuals who bring fresh thinking and a unique approach to the profession. 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 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.

Ekasit Kuna

Thai equity analyst, Kiatnakin Phatra Securities

Joshua Lee

Portfolio manager, Lombard Odier

Professor Roy Ling

Professional board director

Vijay Natarajan

Analyst – real estate & REITs

Jeannie Ong

Founding board member & IR advisor, AetriaHealth

Tim Human

Senior reporter, IR Magazine

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

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.

Winners announced!

We are delighted to announce the list of 2023 winners. View the full list by clicking here.

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].

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. 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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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

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.

For more information around the investor survey, please contact [email protected].

 

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