There is a plan in the works for a new Russian investor relations certificate, according to Olga Rink, executive director of Russia’s Financial Communications and Investor Relations Association (ARFI).
ARFI released a book on best practice in Russian IR earlier this year, and the association plans to build on this educational work by offering courses for an IR certificate. ‘We will concentrate on training,’ says Rink.
The project is only at the planning stage and would need to be approved at a general meeting of members, she adds.
Rink is also targeting more work with other IR associations. ARFI already has memoranda of understanding with IR societies including the Bulgarian and Ukrainian associations and is considering collaboration with several more, she says.
Rink was speaking the day after ARFI and its fellow IR association – the Russian Association of Investor Relations Professionals (OSSI) – agreed to merge.
The combination works well, says Rink, because ARFI’s members are organizations like stock exchanges and ratings agencies, while OSSI concentrates on individual IR practitioners.
A working group has been set up to organize the details of the merger and its conclusions should be released by the end of the summer, says Rink.
