1. How long have you been in IR?
For three and a half years.
2. What did you do before joining the profession?
I spent 15 years at financial institutions before moving to IR at VTB in 2012.
3. What are your qualifications?
A master’s in economics and banking.
4. How is your IR team set up?
The team has eight people, including principal managers responsible for equity and debt/ratings, an investor access co-ordinator and associates.
5. How many roadshows and investor conferences do you usually take part in each year?
We attend about a dozen conferences – and encourage brokers to bring investors to meet with us in Moscow – and hold a few hundred investor meetings. We have a separate program for seminars and sessions with retail shareholders.
6. Do you hold investor days?
Yes, though not regularly: only when there’s a new big message to share.
7. Do you use social media as part of your IR program?
We do, mostly for our retail shareholder base. We recently launched a smartphone and tablet app, and we continue to encourage people to visit our website.
8. Do you receive support from any external IR firms?
Yes, we work with several advisers for corporate and investor communications, annual reports and investor targeting. We also receive very strong support from our depositary bank.
9. What is the most popular question from investors and analysts right now?
The Russian macro situation and how we have adjusted to the new environment. Our investor communications over the past year have been focused on demonstrating the sturdiness of our business model, and our ability to weather strong headwinds
10. What’s been the biggest challenge of your IR career?
Coping with investor frustrations over the various macro challenges related to the Russia story. Russia is still traded at a sizable discount to other emerging markets, which is not necessarily justified by fundamentals; this is much more about changing perception than actual numbers.
11. What’s your favorite bit of IR?
Conveying the company’s message to the market and the feedback from investors to the bank’s management team, thus being a part of developing the company’s strategy and long-term objectives.
12. And your least favorite?
All sorts of surprises popping up from time to time, either macro or company-related, which can disappoint investors.
13. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Normally I stay around central Moscow with my family and friends.
14. How would you describe the IR scene in Russia?
It is still quite new. There are many ongoing changes and developments, but it has already gained a good degree of maturity. Even several years ago the focus was much more about how to make a company public or build up the IR function at a newly public firm. Now the focus is more on ‘IR routine’.
15. If you could pass on one IR lesson, what would it be?
Talk to as many people within the company as you can to get various perspectives and understand all the aspects of its business and strategy. This will be extremely helpful in building a long-term strategy for communicating with investors.
This article appeared in the Spring 2016 issue of IR Magazine
