The CFO: ‘Good investor conversations are indicative of really good IR,’ says Essentra finance chief
Rowan Baker talks to IR Impact from inside the world of hidden – but essential – components In our first installment of The CFO for 2026, we talk to Rowan Baker, Essentra finance chief, about what she looks for from…
Featured deep dives
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The CFO: ‘Good investor conversations are indicative of really good IR,’ says Essentra finance chief
Rowan Baker talks to IR Impact from inside the world of hidden – but essential – components In our first installment of The CFO for 2026, we talk to Rowan Baker, Essentra finance chief, about what she looks for from investor relations, why should moved out of the capital markets and back again and why being lower profile but essential helps drive a ‘great business’.
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‘Our performance is driven by embracing as many views and voices as possible’: James Thomson on how the Rathbone Global Opportunities Fund ranks so highly
The Rathbone Global Opportunities Fund (GOF), with AUM of around $5.3 bn, has been ranked consistently highly in the global equity sector since James Thomson became lead manager in 2003. Rathbones Asset Management has a boutique structure which fosters autonomy, accountability and entrepreneurial spirit but the Rathbones Group is a trusted long-term partner with more than 100 years in wealth and investment management and $146 bn in client assets.
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‘You sit down with tax collectors and prostitutes’: How Bowyer Research is reshaping proxy voting on the right
Bowyer Research first came to the attention of IR Impact – and many on the mainstream governance scene – when the firm’s ESG-skeptic voting policies were picked up by ISS. Today, those policies are available through all the major proxy voting advisory firms and Bowyer Research, which is essentially a mom-and-pop (plus kids) shop run out of Pennsylvania, advises many millions of dollars, including the $57 bn Texas Permanent School Fund. Jerry Bowyer, co-founded Bowyer Research with Susan, his wife of 31 years, , feels the right is playing catch up when it comes to equities and proxy voting –…
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Proxy season 2026: What to expect from rule 14a-8 changes
Governance experts share their predictions for the upcoming proxy season following the SEC’s pullback around shareholder proposals Among the tumult of 2025 was a November announcement from the SEC stating that it would reduce oversight of shareholder proposal disputes. Blaming ‘current resource and timing considerations following the lengthy government shutdown,’ the regulator said that it would end ‘substantial’ reviews of no-action requests under rule 14a-8, with the change applying to the proxy season running from October 2025 to September 2026 – as well as anything it hadn’t got to before the decision was made. You can read more about the…
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Inside IR at Advanced Energy: ‘IR can talk to the world, but we can’t disclose everything,’ says Edwin Mok
Investor relations draws people who are attracted to the art of weaving complex sets of facts into coherent narratives. They are finance people, they are storytellers and, because IR may be the most personal area of business, they often find their way to the profession from distant parts of the corporate universe. Edwin Mok is senior vice president, strategic marketing and investor relations at Advanced Energy. The company is a global leader in engineered, precision power conversion, measurement and control solutions.
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Beyond the quarter: Rethinking corporate reporting in the US
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Looking back at a year of ‘The CFO’: How finance chiefs measure IR success
We’re rounding up another year of IR Impact’s flagship interview series The CFO, where we talk investor relations with finance chiefs from around the world. January 2026 will mark two years of speaking to finance leaders about all things IR. Kurt Barton from Tractor Supply Company was first in The CFO seat two years ago and Dominique Barker, CFO and head of sustainability at Canada’s Lithium Royalties Corp, closed 2025. We always ask CFOs a question about how they measure the success of their IR program, as the nature of the profession makes it notoriously difficult to assess. But proving…
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Global Roadshow Report 2026
Marking 16 years of IR Impact’s research into global roadshow trends: where companies go, who goes along and the brokers they travel with
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IR Benchmarking report 2026
How much of your IR budget should you be allocating to external providers? And should you be rethinking that spend in the age of AI? How important is gender balance when hiring into your IR team? Are your peers struggling to make the case for senior management attending yet another virtual investor meeting? Our brand-new IR Benchmarking report has the answers. Packed with global data, peer comparisons and insights from award-winning IROs and CFOs, this is your go-to resource for aligning your IR strategy with market realities, justifying investment and highlighting your IR program’s strategic value internally.
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The IR Benchmarking Report 2026 Global & Europe
Here at IR Impact, we love to dive into the day-to-day of investor relations. How much companies are allocating to the IR budget – and, particularly in the AI era, how much of that is going to external service providers. We look at how many people are in the average IR team and which members of senior management are most involved in the program. All this – combined with research around analyst numbers, the evolution of virtual and much more – makes the IR Benchmarking Report 2026 a must-read for senior IROs looking to compare their approach with peers and…
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The IR Benchmarking Report 2026 Global & North America
While the name is new – The IR Benchmarking Report replaces our long-running Global Practice Report – the insights we deliver have not changed. We have been running this research for 14 years, adapting questions as the IR profession changes, but always with the focus on helping our readers better understand how they can use IR benchmarking to learn from others and better their own IR program.
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Connect, learn and network at our forums, think tanks and award ceremonies – your go-to for the latest IR trends, regulatory updates, investor engagement strategies and valuable networking opportunities.
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Forum – AI & Technology Europe
About the event Stay ahead. Harness AI. Transform IR. In today’s rapidly evolving financial landscape, AI is transforming how IROs engage with investors, analyze market sentiment and deliver insights. Yet, many IR teams face challenges in understanding and employing these tools effectively. WHEN WHERE America Square Conference Centre, London The…
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Briefing – The story behind the story: how IR teams prepare for volatile periods
In partnership with WHEN 8.00 am PT / 11.00 am ET / 3.00 pm GMT / 4.00 pm CET DURATION 45 minutes About the event After a tumultuous 12 months in the markets, 2026 appears poised to be dominated by the same macroeconomic factors that defined 2025. The ongoing impacts…
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Think Tank – West Coast
Our unique format – Exclusively for in-house IRO’s The IR Impact Think Tank – West Coast will take place on Thursday, March 19, 2026 in Palo Alto and is an invitation-only event exclusively for senior IR officers. Our think tanks are free to attend and our unique format enables participants to network extensively, and discuss, debate and dissect…
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