The NIRI National Conference in Orlando was an exciting event and we had 6 chapter members in attendance amongst the 1,100 national members. Popular topics discussed at NIRI National:
- Gary LaBranche, NIRI’s new CEO, said he will act as chief communicator with the SEC and Congress, pushing for the strategic advancement of the IR profession, which he believes has had a breakthrough in sophistication with the launch of the Investor Relations Certificate.
- Best practices in Investor communication: Transparency is key. More than simply better disclosure. The X factor in investor expectations – clear thesis, transparency, credibility and trust. If investor expectations are misaligned with strategy, need to fix that gap.
- Rise of passive investing is here to stay as Index money continues to grow. Passive investing no longer implies quiet ownership - passive and index acting more like active – have more control, especially through Corporate Governance. Targeting of active investors is even more critical now than years past, especially at the fund level.
- IR and Board relations: IROs have a role in synthesizing third-party information and reporting investor views to the Board. Be knowledgeable on what the board is looking for with regards to its long-term strategy. If there is no formal Board access for IROs, they should use their CEO or CFO as a vessel of communication.
- ESG/Sustainability Trends: Start with internal disclosure processes, and weave into 10K MD&A language (beyond simply risk factors). Consider educating your Board now on the rising importance of ESG.
For those of you who were not in Orlando, here are 13 video interviews from the 2017 NIRI Conference: https://www.niri.org/about-niri/news-media/videos