Cipriani 25 Broadway, New York
The IR Magazine Awards – US 2024 will take place on Wednesday, March 27 in New York. This very special event honors excellence in the investor relations profession across the US.
Since the annual event first launched in 1996, tens of thousands of analysts and investors have voted in the surveys that fuel the awards. The result: vital benchmarking information on which companies do the best IR. In recent years, the awards program has expanded to recognize more aspects of an IRO’s role as we add new categories to the list and give IR teams the opportunity to nominate themselves.
By popular demand, we present two types of award categories – researched and nominated – both celebrating the success of those individuals and companies that are leading the way in IR across the US.
For our researched categories, companies do not submit nominations. Instead, hundreds of analysts and investors cast their votes and give their opinions on which companies provide the best IR service. In our nominated categories, companies submit written entries to articulate their success and achievements from the past year, giving any publicly listed company the opportunity to be considered for an award.
A step-by-step guide to submitting an award-winning entryAccess the entry pack
For our awards-by-nomination categories, individuals and companies are given the opportunity to submit written entries, free of charge, to be put forward to a panel of expert judges made up of investment professionals and IR Magazine editorial team members.
We are now accepting entries for 2024! Please click here to access the entry form. The deadline for submissions is midnight (ET) on Friday, December 1.
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 8004 5339.
View the full list of 2023 nominees and winners by clicking here.
The awards-by-nomination categories differ from our traditional researched awards, as individuals and companies are given the opportunity to submit written entries, free of charge, to be put forward to a panel of expert judges made up of investment professionals and IR Magazine editorial team members.
The judging process consists of three simple phases:
Phase one: Once the entry deadline has passed, the IR Magazine editorial team reviews all submissions and produces the short list
Phase two: The short-listed entries are shared with an independent judging panel made up of industry experts. The judges review each short-listed entry and select their top two picks per category
Phase three: The judges come together to discuss, debate and select the final list of winners who will go on to win an award
The judges’ votes are not made public, but their comments may be published in articles or reports after the event. Judges are not required to make comments against every submission.
We are delighted to announce our judging panel for the 2024 awards! Click on each photo below to find out more.
Laurie Havelock
Editor-at-large
IR Magazine
Laurie Havelock is a journalist, writer and podcaster who has worked with IR Magazine for more than a decade. He was previously assistant business editor at the Daily Telegraph and acting business and money editor at the i newspaper. In his spare time, he is a keen boardgamer and hosts a podcast about them called Idle Fantasy. He lives in London with his husky, Mischa.
Sally Curley
Founder and CEO
Curley Global IR (CGIR)
Sally is Founder and CEO of Curley Global IR (CGIR), LLC, an Investor Relations (IR), Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG) and Corporate Governance strategic advisory firm. With more than 30 years of business experience, Sally has worked for and represented companies in the healthcare, high tech, software and retail industries. Her expertise includes: building and leading IR, ESG, corporate governance outreach programs; strategic consulting and planning; advisor to public, private and non-profit Boards; IPOs (traditional and tracking stocks). From 2010 to 2017, she was named a top IR Officer in her industry by Institutional Investor Magazine and in 2012 was named one of Treasury and Risk Magazine’s “30 Outstanding Women in Finance.” In 2019 she received the prestigious IR Magazine Lifetime Achievement award, an honor awarded by her peers.
For nearly a decade, Sally served as Senior Vice President, Investor Relations for Cardinal Health, a Fortune 50 global healthcare services company, where she oversaw worldwide IR and corporate governance outreach efforts. She was a member of the company’s Global Leadership Team as well as its Disclosure Committee. While there, Sally co-founded and co-chaired the company’s first cross-functional committee responsible for assessing and advancing ESG (environmental, social and governance) initiatives. Prior to Cardinal Health, Sally was Vice President, Investor Relations for Genzyme Corporation (now Sanofi), where she led global IR and helped to advise the Nominating and Governance Board Committee on governance issues. In both organizations, she grew the domestic and international shareholder base substantially.
Sally has presented numerous times to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Corporate Finance Division on topics related to IR, disclosure, ESG and proxy process reform. She also has authored Comment Letters to the SEC on behalf of the organizations with whom she worked.
Sally served on the National Investor Relations Institute’s (NIRI’s) Board of Directors, its Senior Roundtable Steering Committee and as a past President of the Boston Chapter. She currently sits on NIRI’s Ethics Committee. In 2013 Sally was inducted into NIRI’s inaugural Class of Fellows, “recognized leaders who represent the ideals of the investor relations profession.” She chaired the committee responsible for creating the NIRI Body of Knowledge, used as the basis for a new IR Certification (IRC). A member of the Society for Corporate Governance, Sally serves on its Sustainability Committee.
Sally currently sits on the Advisory Board for MOBILion Systems, Inc., a private company enabling advancements in disease diagnosis and treatment through its proprietary analytical instrumentation. In addition, she has served as member of the Board of Directors for several non-profit organizations, including the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (one of the nation’s largest) where she chaired the Board’s Sustainability Committee and was a member of its Nominating and Governance Committee.
Sally is an Adjunct Faculty member at Georgetown University for its Executive Master’s in Global Communications program. She has guest-lectured / taught at The Ohio State University, Boston University, Emerson College Graduate School of Communications and Harvard University on IR, ESG, corporate governance, disclosure issues and crisis communications, including creating coursework related to the healthcare industry. She holds a B.A. from Colby College in Waterville, ME, an M.B.A. from Northeastern University in Boston, MA, and a Certificate of Biotechnical Education from Boston University Medical School.
Carol Murray-Negron
President
Equanimity
Carol Murray-Negron, president of Equanimity, Inc., is an executive coach who works with senior executives and leaders to optimize their performance, leadership presence, and strategic communications. Her prior corporate experience includes senior positions with Avon Products, Inc, both in the US and international divisions. During her tenure as Vice President of Investor Relations, Avon’s IR program received industry recognition as “Most Improved IR” among mid-cap companies. Carol is a past recipient of IR Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award. A member of the NIRI, The Association for Investor Relations, she recently served on NIRI’s Board of Directors and currently serves on NIRI’s Senior Roundtable Steering Committee. Carol was named a NIRI Fellow in 2014. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from Yale School of Drama and a B.A. from Chatham University, where she received the 2016 Alumni Leadership Award.
Maureen Wolff
CEO
Sharon Merrill Associates
Maureen is CEO of Sharon Merrill Advisors, a premier boutique strategic communications firm in the areas of investor relations, story creation and stakeholder engagement. She is a nationally recognized thought leader in investor relations and corporate communications, with more than 35 years of experience advising C-level executives and board of directors on how to improve their communications, build credibility and maximize stakeholder value. Maureen provides clients with strategic guidance in investor relations, corporate communications and sustainability, covering a variety of special situations such as executive transitions, crisis communications, IPOs and M&A, among others. She received a B.S. degree in Communications from Montclair State University and completed prescribed studies in “Financial and IR” at the Simmons College Graduate Program in Communications.
As an expert in the complex and ever-changing landscape of investor relations and corporate governance, Maureen is frequently called upon to bridge the intersection between the two fields. She has earned a reputation for providing clients clear and actionable advice on implementing best-in-class sustainability strategies, navigating proxy contests and activism campaigns, elevating proxy communication, raising capital and developing crisis communication strategies. Maureen’s history of leadership within the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) includes serving as chairman and a board member, as well as spearheading the development of NIRI’s Standards of Practice for IR.
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 US. 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.
View the full list of 2023 nominees and winners by clicking here.
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 process, please contact [email protected].
Alliant Energy Corp
Dominion Energy
Eversource Energy
NextEra Energy
Xcel Energy
The first thing to explain is that our awards are different from most others: for our awards by research, companies do not submit nominations. The winners are identified by in-depth research and any publicly traded company is eligible to be considered. This survey is the only one of its kind to go directly to the investment community, via a combination of an electronic survey and one-to-one telephone interviews, canvassing the opinions of the people who matter to you most.
July 2023: Sample selection
IR Magazine has been building investment community databases for more than 30 years. As part of the updating process, listed companies are contacted every year for details of the professionals who currently cover their stock. These details are combined with IHS Markit’s list of US investment community contacts to produce a total of around 50,000 investors and analysts.
September – November 2023: Telephone survey
The telephone survey then gets under way. The researchers conduct in-depth interviews with an additional 250 portfolio managers and analysts across the US and Canada. Many of them participate in the study year after year, but there is always a healthy proportion of new respondents each year as well. As the research progresses, the sample is adjusted to ensure appropriate weightings are maintained.
October 2023: Electronic survey
IR Magazine then conducts an electronic survey of buy-side and sell-side analysts and portfolio managers. The electronic survey typically receives 200 individual responses from the investment community. These responses then go to Mary Maude Research for initial analysis. The research firm determines what will constitute a representative sample, weighted for industry sector.
Results analysis
Once the survey stage of the research is completed, the final analysis is undertaken. The companies with the highest scores make the short lists for the awards categories, and the points are further analyzed to identify the best exponents of IR by sector. The independence of our research is crucial to the integrity of the whole awards program, so IR Magazine sees the results only once the research is complete. This ensures a transparent, independent set of results that IROs can trust as a valuable bench-marking tool.
January 2024: Short list compiled
IR Magazine receives the results in January 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.
March 27, 2024: Winners announced
And finally… the winners are announced live at the black tie awards gala on Wednesday, March 27, 2024!
March 2024: Report published
Shortly after the awards, the Investor Perception Study – US 2024 report is published and made available to IR Magazine subscribers. This report will profile the top ranked companies and reveal information on how they conduct their IR activities and why investors voted for them.
Attendees at this event are leading IR practitioners from across the US. Each participant is someone with an established track record and a strategic IR role within their company.
Below is a sample of the 2023 attendees:
Job title | Company | Job title | Company | |
CFO | Anterix | Senior director | Anavex Life Sciences | |
CFO | RCI Hospitality Holdings | Senior director global real estate | Blackbaud | |
CFO | ZenBusiness | Senior director, IP operations | Adeia | |
Co-owner, chief brand officer | Dallas Cowboys Football Club | Senior Director, IR | Equinix | |
Director, IR | Jushi Holdings | Senior VP, finance, IR | AT&T | |
Director, IR | Prologis | SVP, finance, IR | Triumph Financial | |
ESG Manager | Hilton | SVP, financial planning & analysis | Wyndham Hotels & Resorts | |
EVP, head of IR | Huntington National Bank | SVP, head of IR | Coty | |
Finance manager, digital | Kohl’s | SVP, IR | Radius Global | |
Global head of IR | Kornit | SVP, IR | Zeta | |
Global sustainability coordinator | FIS Global | VP, corporate communications | Zurn Elkay Water Solutions | |
Head of IR | BNY Mellon | VP, finance, global head of IR | The Kraft Heinz Company | |
Head of IR | Moodys | VP, head of IR | Starbucks | |
Head of IR | Uber | VP, IR | Axalta Coating Systems | |
Interim SVP, finance | Access TeleCare | VP, IR | Cheniere Energy | |
Investor Relations | The Hartford | VP, IR | H&R Block | |
IR director | TDS | VP, IR | ITT | |
IR manager | T-Mobile | VP, IR | Prologis | |
IR manager | Starbucks | VP, IR | Royal Caribbean Group | |
Manager, IR | Cheniere Energy | VP, IR | SLB | |
Manager, IR | Omron Corporation | VP, IR | Xilio Therapeutics | |
President & CEO | RCI Hospitality Holdings | VP, IR | Zoom Info | |
President, CEO | PotlatchDeltic | VP, IR & treasurer | California Resources Corporation |
Why partner with us?
Our awards provide a unique opportunity to get in front of some of the most influential people in the US IR community. As a partner, 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.
Partnering with the event will provide:
All our partnerships are created using a mix of branding, thought leadership, lead generation and meetings with your target audience. You tell us your objectives and we will work with you to create you a package that’s makes sense for your company and will help you achieve those objectives. To find out more get in touch with Ian Richman or call on +1 212 430 6865.
Awards Partners
Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 68 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,900 retail financial centers, approximately 16,000 ATMs and award-winning digital banking with approximately 56 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and approximately 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
For more information, please visit www.bofaml.com.
FactSet helps the financial community to see more, think bigger, and work better. Our digital platform and enterprise solutions deliver financial data, analytics, and open technology globally. Clients across the buy-side and sell-side as well as wealth managers, private equity firms, and corporations achieve more every day with our comprehensive and connected content, flexible next-generation workflow solutions, and client-centric specialized support. As a member of the S&P500, we are committed to sustainable growth and have repeatedly scored 100 on the Human Rights Campaign® Corporate Equality Index and been recognized amongst the Best Places to Work in 2023 by Glassdoor. For more information please visit our website www.factset.com .
Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. is the 15th largest bank in the world as measured by total assets of ~$2 trillion, according to S&P Global 2022. Mizuho’s 60,000 employees worldwide offer comprehensive financial services to clients in 35 countries and 800 offices throughout the Americas, EMEA and Asia.
Mizuho Americas is the fastest growing region within the Mizuho Financial Group and is a leading provider of corporate and investment banking services to clients in the US, Canada and Latin America. Its capabilities span investment and corporate banking, capital markets, equity and fixed income sales & trading, derivatives, FX, custody and research. Mizuho Americas employs 3,000 professionals across 15 offices within the Americas. Learn more at www.mizuhoamericas.com.
A step-by-step guide to submitting an award-winning entryAccess the entry pack
View the highlights from the 2023 awards ceremony
We are pleased to be hosting our awards at:
Cipriani 25 Broadway
25 Broadway
New York, NY 10004
Dress code:
Black tie
Warning: Please note the event may contain flashing lights or sudden loud sound effects
For partnership inquiries
+1 212 430 6865
For awards inquiries
+44 20 8004 5339