In its relatively short life as a public company, Baidu has risen to dominate the Chinese search engine market. Certainly, Google’s exit from the Chinese market in early 2010 can’t have done Baidu any harm.
Despite Baidu’s market dominance, however, the IR team hasn’t been resting on its laurels: in 2010 the firm took part in more than 400 investor meetings in the past year.
‘We’re very accessible,’ explains Victor Tseng, Baidu’s head of IR. ‘We’re able to talk about the company’s market opportunities, business model and the competitive landscape in detail.’
The company’s central concerns over the past 12 months have been to communicate to investors the impact of the global recession on its operations, and set out upcoming developments within its internal organization. There has also been a focus on establishing earnings expectations with analysts.
Looking ahead, Tseng says Baidu will continue to place high-quality disclosure materials at the heart of its IR strategy. ‘We will strive to make wider improvements in our relations with shareholders on all levels,’ he comments.
