IR Magazine

IR Magazine Awards – US
Celebrating IR Excellence

Thursday, March 31, 2022

Cipriani 25 Broadway, New York

About the awards

The IR Magazine Awards – US 2022 took place in-person on Thursday, March 31 at the Cipriani 25 Broadway. This very special event honored excellence in the investor relations profession across the US and we were excited to welcome everyone back for an evening of fine food, dancing and lots of celebrating!

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.

 

Nominated categories      Researched categories

Highlights

View the highlights from the 2022 awards ceremony

In support of UNICEF

IR Magazine will be donating a portion of funds from this event to UNICEF USA to protect children in Ukraine.

Children are the least responsible for war in Ukraine, but they suffer most from its consequences. Each donation will help UNICEF ensure that Ukraine’s children have access to safe water, nutrition, health care, education and protection.

Water and education systems have been and continue to be frequently targeted in attacks, and access to safe water and schooling is disrupted and remains limited as a result. Ukraine’s increasingly fragile health system continues to struggle to cover essential services. UNICEF provides critical support, particularly in the areas of childhood immunizations and HIV prevention.

All of these services and more are urgently needed as the situation in the country continues to deteriorate, posing an immediate threat to the lives and well-being of the country’s 7.5 million children.

To make a donation directly, click here. Donations are 100% tax-deductible and less than 3% of funds go to administrative costs.

Awards by nomination

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.

WINNERS ANNOUNCED

To view the full list of 2022 nominees and winners click here.

Best crisis management

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.

Nominees

  • Hill-Rom Services (now part of Baxter International)

  • Hilton Worldwide Holdings

    WINNER

  • Honeywell International

  • Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings

  • Rambus

Best ESG reporting (large cap)

Best ESG reporting (large cap)

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?

Nominees

  • Fifth Third Bancorp

  • Mondelēz International

  • Moody's Corporation

    WINNER

  • Philip Morris International

  • Verizon Communications

Best ESG reporting (small to mid-cap)

Best ESG reporting (small to mid-cap)

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?

Nominees

  • Bridge Investment Group Holdings

  • Energy Recovery

    WINNER

  • Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings

  • The AZEK Company

  • Trulieve Cannabis Corp

Best innovation in shareholder communications

Best innovation in shareholder communications

*NEW FOR 2022* 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!

Nominees

  • Axon Enterprise

  • Honeywell International

  • Matador Resources Company

  • Mondelēz International

  • Resonant

    WINNER

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. Both virtual and in-person events can be considered for this award.

Nominees

  • Ford Motor Company

    WINNER

  • Hasbro

  • NI (formerly National Instruments Corp)

  • Sovos Brands

  • Tractor Supply Company

  • Travel + Leisure Co

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.

Nominees

  • Apollo Global Management

    WINNER

  • Baxter International

  • First Advantage

  • NI (formerly National Instruments Corp)

  • Verint

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.

Nominees

  • Axon Enterprise

  • Baxter International

  • First Advantage

  • Immunic Therapeutics

  • Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings

  • PVH Corp

    WINNER

  • Tenet Healthcare Corporation

Best retail IR strategy

Best retail IR strategy

*NEW FOR 2022* IR teams have recently started to pay attention to and service retail investors to meet growing needs for communication. In this category, we’re looking for IR campaigns that include a retail shareholder communication strategy, how it differed from the usual program and the results of these efforts.

Nominees

  • Coinbase

    WINNER

  • General Electric

  • Matador Resources Company

Best use of technology & social media for IR

Best use of technology & social media 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.

Nominees

  • First Advantage

  • Medtronic

    WINNER

  • Take-Two Interactive Software

  • Zoom Video Communications

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.

Nominees

  • Charlotte Morse, Bridge Investment Group

  • Stephanie Gorman, First Advantage

  • Lucinda Keil, FIS

  • Jessica John, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings

    WINNER

  • Dylan Wolfinger, RingCentral

  • Balaji Krishnamurthy, Uber

  • Mei Ni Chu, Voya Financial

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.

Lifetime achievement award

We are pleased to announce that the 2022 lifetime achievement award winner is Beate Melten. 

Beate Melten is the global head, investor relations counsel for Citi Depositary Receipt Services. In her role, Beate advises clients on all aspects of establishing and maintaining a best practice, successful international investor relations program. She has become the trusted advisor of investor relations officers and senior executives of major global companies. Prior to joining Citi, she worked for eight years as vice president of investor relations for CEMEX, a leading global building solutions provider based in Mexico. Beate combines in-depth knowledge of financial markets with a broad-based background in investor relations and corporate communications. She is highly respected in the global investor relations field and has frequently been invited to speak/present at various events targeted to the investor relations audience around the world.

Beate holds an MA in Sociology from Georg August University Goettingen, Germany.

We look forward to celebrating Beate’s achievements at the awards ceremony on Thursday, March 31 at the Cipriani 25 Broadway, New York.

Meet the judges

We are delighted to announce our judging panel for the 2022 awards! Click on each photo below to find out more.


What our attendees say

"Venue was stunning and the food and cocktails were wonderful. Great to reunite with friends and peers in a festive atmosphere after two years."

Duolingo

"The evening was truly a celebration. The winners and contestants showed deep pride and excitement to have won or be nominated. Great energy and camaraderie."

Broadridge

"You and your team did a great job with the event. Everyone had a fabulous time. It felt wonderful to celebrate in person!"

Anonymous

"We liked everything. The location, the food, the people, networking, and the chance to congratulate some of our clients that were winners at the event."

Investis Digital

"Excellent planning, great opportunity for networking!"

Telsey Advisory Group

"The food was good and the speeches were short. It’s great to be able to get together and share in each other’s accomplishments again."

Anonymous

"The venue was beautiful, the live music was excellent, and the service was good. MC was fun and ran through the ceremony quickly. We also had a bit of fun with the photo booth."

First Advantage

"It was in a beautiful space, dinner was very good, Great organizing and very entertaining"

Mithra Advisors

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 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.

If you have any questions on this process or wish to access our data sharing agreement, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page. We are no longer accepting lists for the 2022 research, but should you have any queries about the process, please contact [email protected].

WINNERS ANNOUNCED

To view the full list of 2022 nominees and winners click here.

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$2 bn / Mid-cap  = between US$2 bn and US$20 bn / Large cap = US$20 bn and over

Nominees

  • Danaher

  • Equinix

  • General Electric

    WINNER

  • Johnson Controls International

  • Medtronic

  • Prudential Financial

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$2 bn / Mid-cap  = between US$2 bn and US$20 bn / Large cap = US$20 bn and over

Nominees

  • Alliance Data Systems (now known as Bread Financial Holdings)

  • American Airlines Group

    WINNER

  • Caesars Entertainment

  • Tenet Healthcare Corporation

  • United Airlines

  • WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp

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$2 bn / Mid-cap  = between US$2 bn and US$20 bn / Large cap = US$20 bn and over

Nominees

  • Alto Ingredients

    WINNER

  • DZS

  • Gogo

  • PlayAGS

  • Tecnoglass

  • Wrap Technologies

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$2 bn / Mid-cap  = between US$2 bn and US$20 bn / Large cap = US$20 bn and over

Nominees

  • Shelley Singh, American International Group

  • Ann Scott, Ball Corporation

  • Matthew Gugino, Danaher

    WINNER

  • Steve Winoker, General Electric

  • Jill Slattery, Hilton Worldwide Holdings

  • Antonella Franzen, Johnson Controls International

Best investor relations officer (small to mid-cap)

Best investor relations officer (small to 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$2 bn / Mid-cap  = between US$2 bn and US$20 bn / Large cap = US$20 bn and over

Nominees

  • Brian Vereb, Alliance Data Systems (now known as Bread Financial Holdings)

  • Christopher Irvine, American Airlines Group

    WINNER

  • Brian Agnew, Caesars Entertainment

  • Joseph Boutross, LKQ Corp

  • Heather Kos, Univar Solutions

  • Peter Andrew, Western Digital Corporation

Best IR by a senior management team (large cap)

Best IR by a senior management team (large cap)


Nominees

  • Jeff Campbell, CFO & Stephen Squeri, CEO

    American Express

  • Rainer Blair, CEO & Matt McGrew, CFO

    Danaher

  • Lawrence Culp, CEO & Carolina Dybeck Happe, CFO

    General Electric

  • Kevin Jacobs, CFO & Christopher Nassetta, CEO

    Hilton Worldwide Holdings

  • Donald Allan, CFO & James Loree, CEO

    Stanley Black & Decker

  • WINNER: Worthing Jackman, CEO & Mary Anne Whitney, CFO

    Waste Connections

Best IR by a senior management team (small to mid-cap)

Best IR by a senior management team (small to mid-cap)

Market cap breakdown: Small cap = below US$2 bn / Mid-cap  = between US$2 bn and US$20 bn / Large cap = US$20 bn and over

Nominees

  • Derek Kerr, CFO & Doug Parker, CEO

    American Airlines Group

  • Michael LaBelle, CFO & Owen Thomas, CEO

    Boston Properties

  • WINNER: Tom Reeg, CEO & Bret Yunker, CFO

    Caesars Entertainment

  • Mitchell Fadel, CEO & Maureen Short, CFO

    Rent-A-Center

  • Timothy Boswell, CFO & Bradley Soultz, CEO

    WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp

  • Brad Jacobs, CEO & Ravi Tulsyan, CFO

    XPO Logistics

Best in sector: communications

Best in sector: communications


Nominees

  • Gogo

  • Roku

  • T-Mobile US

  • The Walt Disney Company

  • Verizon Communications

    WINNER

Best in sector: consumer discretionary

Best in sector: consumer discretionary


Nominees

  • Aptiv

  • Caesars Entertainment

  • General Motors

  • Hilton Worldwide Holdings

    WINNER

  • LKQ Corp

  • Tesla

Best in sector: consumer staples

Best in sector: consumer staples


Nominees

  • Conagra Brands

  • Philip Morris International

  • Stellantis

  • Target Corporation

  • Walmart

    WINNER

Best in sector: energy

Best in sector: energy


Nominees

  • Alto Ingredients

  • ConocoPhillips

  • EOG Resources

    WINNER

  • ExxonMobil

  • Hess Corporation

  • Williams

Best in sector: financials

Best in sector: financials


Nominees

  • Alliance Data Systems (now known as Bread Financial Holdings)

  • American Express

  • American International Group

  • MetLife

  • Prudential Financial

    WINNER

  • Wells Fargo & Company

Best in sector: healthcare

Best in sector: healthcare


Nominees

  • Boston Scientific

  • Danaher

    WINNER

  • Horizon Therapeutics

  • Medtronic

  • Thermo Fisher Scientific

  • UnitedHealth Group

Best in sector: industrials

Best in sector: industrials


Nominees

  • American Airlines Group

  • Delta Air Lines

  • General Electric

    WINNER

  • Johnson Controls International

  • Union Pacific Railroad

  • Xylem

Best in sector: materials

Best in sector: materials


Nominees

  • Ball Corporation

  • Ecolab

  • Newmont Corporation

  • Sonoco Products Company

  • Tecnoglass

  • The Sherwin-Williams Company

    WINNER

Best in sector: real estate

Best in sector: real estate


Nominees

  • American Tower Corporation

  • Brixmor Property Group

  • Camden Property Trust

  • DigitalBridge Group

  • Equinix

    WINNER

  • Prologis

Best in sector: technology

Best in sector: technology


Nominees

  • Cisco Systems

  • Corning

  • Microsoft

  • PayPal

    WINNER

  • Texas Instruments

  • Visa

Best in sector: utilities

Best in sector: utilities


Nominees

  • CenterPoint Energy

  • Chesapeake Utilities Corporation

  • Eversource Energy

  • NextEra Energy

    WINNER

  • Pacific Gas and Electric Company

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 2021: 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 2021: 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 2021: 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 2022: 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 31, 2022: Winners announced

And finally… the winners are announced live at the black tie awards gala on Thursday, March 31, 2022!

March 2022: Report published

Shortly after the awards, the Investor Perception Study – US 2022 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.

 

Who attends our awards

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 some of our attendees:

Company Job Title Company Job Title
Moody’s Corporation Assistant VP, IR Lumos Pharma Senior director, head of IR
Immunic CEO & president Pacific Gas and Electric Company Senior director, IR
Fifth Third Bank Chief sustainability officer Moody’s Corporation Senior manager, IR
Energy Recovery Director of ESG Energy Recovery Senior manager, IR
Trulieve Cannabis Director of ESG/DEI Hilton Sr director corporate affairs
Danaher Corporation Director, IR Travel + Leisure Co. SVP IR, FP&A
Trulieve Cannabis Director, IR Moody’s Corporation SVP, IR
Energy Recovery ESG analyst Hilton SVP, IR & corporate development
FIS EVP, corporate finance Moody’s Corporation SVP, sustainability
Ford Motor Company Executive director IR Johnson Controls VP, chief IR & communications officer
Kansas City Southern Former vice president of IR Sonoco VP, IR
Chesapeake Utilities Corporation Head of IR Xylem VP, IR
Alliance Data Head of IR Volition VP, IR
Immunocore Head of IR First Advantage VP, IR
Immunic Head of IR and communications Johnson Controls VP, IR
Danaher Corporation Manager, IR Energy Recovery VP, IR
Moody’s Corporation Managing director, sustainability Roku VP, IR
Energy Recovery Project manager Fortress Biotech VP, IR


Request full attendee list

Become a partner

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:

  • A chance to network with qualified, senior decision-makers in the IR community
  • Increased awareness and credibility through association with the region’s leading awards
  • New business opportunities through higher-brand presence among current and potential clients
  • The chance to entertain clients at the most respected event of the year
  • Exposure as the market leader in your chosen area by sponsoring the awards category that best reflects your area of expertise

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.

Partners

Register your interest for 2023

Register your interest for the 2023 awards by filling in the form at the link below. You will be the first to receive important updates about the event, including what to expect and how to book your table.

If you have any questions, please contact Danielle Gardiner at [email protected] or call +44 20 8090 0556.

 

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST

Photobooth partners

We would like to thank The Nuvo Group for being our Photo Booth Partner at this year’s awards ceremony. Our guests enjoyed something a little bit different as we introduced the 360 photo booth, because after all, photos are so 2019!

To view the gallery, please click here and don’t forget to share your videos on social media using #IRawards

Contact us

Privacy Policy

IR Media Group (USA) Inc, the owner of IR Magazine, Corporate Secretary and IRspace, respect the privacy of every person who visits, registers with or subscribes to our websites and online publications, and is committed to ensuring a safe online experience. This privacy statement applies to all IR Media Group’s websites as listed under the heading ‘Sites’ and outlines the information IR Media Group may collect and how we may use that information. It also explains what we do with information about you when you register to attend one of our events.
To view our privacy policy in full, please click here.