IR Magazine Awards – US
Celebrating IR Excellence

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 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 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 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.

• Speaker at high-profile industry events hosted by such organizations as the Association for Corporate Growth, National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI), NASDAQ, the New York Stock Exchange and the Society for Corporate Governance.
• Recipient of the IR Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award; NIRI Fellow; Member of the NIRI Senior Roundtable; Honorary Director of the Boston Chapter of NIRI
• Former Chairperson for NIRI IR Certification Council and contributing developer of the inaugural Investor Relations Certification exam
• Lecturer at leading academic institutions such as Bentley University, Boston University, Emerson College and Harvard University, and at NIRI’s ‘Regulation Fair Disclosure’ seminar