Thomson Reuters has brought out a new version of its Marketboard iPad app with features specifically for IR professionals.
The upgrade means users of Marketboard can now access Thomson Reuters’ IR services on the go, such as the firm’s contact management system and shareholder analysis tools.
The new version builds on the previous Marketboard app, which provides access to general market data, like sell-side research, news, stock quotes and charts. The new app is available for free to Thomson Reuters’ clients.
Bill Haney, global head of IR services at Thomson Reuters, says the iPad app should come in handy for the highly mobile IR crowd.
He says Thomson Reuters is focused on developing Marketboard for Apple devices at the moment, but will keep an eye on the uptake of Android products among clients.
‘All the data tells us the clear device winner in the C-suite has been the iPad, so right now we’re content to push forward with our Marketboard development on Apple,’ he explains.
The launch is the latest sign IR professionals are increasingly using iPads in their working lives.
In November last year, IR magazine reported that Nestlé had kitted out its whole IR department with iPads, after head of IR Roddy Child-Villiers bought one for himself and found it extremely useful.
John Dawson, head of IR at National Grid and chairman of the UK’s IR Society, is another prominent iPad user.
One of the principal benefits of the iPad for IROs is that it allows them to carry round documents and presentations from one meeting to the next with ease.
The increasing use of iPads by IR teams is mirrored by the uptake of the Apple product by investors and analysts, which is leading companies to launch corporate apps targeted at the investment community.
Kingfisher, the UK home improvement retailer, and Polish power company ENEA are two issuers that have recently launched apps for this audience.
