IR Magazine is approaching its 30th anniversary. During the past three decades, we have provided leading publications, reports and events to the global investor relations community. We have also seen the worlds of both publishing and investor relations changed forever by digital disruption and innovation. Social media, online forums, newsletters, webinars and webcasts all have their merits, but the volume can often become overwhelming – if only there were more hours in the day.
Such disruption can have a polarizing effect. If you use digital tools well, you can be transparent and responsive, and communicate with thousands of people at the same time. If used poorly, however, digital media can alienate your investors and peers. We all have moments of feeling overexposed and over-communicated to, yet we all still strive for meaningful professional and personal relationships.
This was the impetus for the launch of IRspace, the new private social network for corporate IR professionals and senior management at listed companies. The central features of IRspace – networking, information sharing and our knowledge base – give the investor relations community all it needs from a digital platform, and enable it to communicate in a forum that is free from vendors and unqualified members.
‘IRspace provides a much-needed place for the global IR community in which to network, exchange knowledge and solve problems,’ says Dom Castley, CEO of IR Media, publisher of IR Magazine. ‘Its vision is to become an indispensable daily resource and community touchstone for busy IROs who work in small, often isolated teams and are constantly on the road.’
More than 400 corporate IR professionals joined IRspace in the first week, with members distributed across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific, as well as across all company cap sizes. The following are just some of the reasons why so many people are excited to join the platform.
Networking
IR Magazine’s think tanks, conferences and investor perception seminars have long provided an opportunity for IR professionals to meet and exchange knowledge, and we hope to carry the energy and spirit of these events into IRspace. We understand that IR professionals often work in small teams and spend large periods of the year on the road. With that in mind, our aim is to make it as easy as possible to network and meet people.
Members of IRspace are able to create and manage their own profiles, adding professional photographs and their resumé information. They can then seek out like-minded peers to connect with, searching by sector, location, functional role and market cap. Once connected, members are able to interact one to one or with groups through private and instant messaging.
‘I often wish I could talk about investor relations with someone from another country so that I could bounce ideas off him or her and compare the Singapore market with the environment in China,’ says Jeannie Ong, chief strategic partnership officer at Singaporean telecommunications company StarHub. ‘While not everything is the same, it is good to know how the rest of the world is handling certain issues.’
Sharing knowledge and ideas
Networking and information sharing often go hand in hand. IRspace’s professionally moderated forum allows members to post queries and discussion topics and receive answers from a global community of IROs. Members are also able to post anonymously if they have a sensitive issue they’re looking for input on.
The IR Magazine team will also regularly post the latest news and features from our website so that you won’t miss a thing.
‘Unlike other more general social media, IRspace will allow you to discuss ideas with people who really understand you and your job,’ says Richard Jones, head of IR, corporate communications & sustainability at Indorama Ventures in Thailand. ‘It should also allow IR professionals to understand that there is not just one way of achieving our goals, and that the exchange of how ‘IR is done somewhere else’ could add to your experience quotient.’
IRspace also provides an opportunity for IR professionals to build their personal brand among their peers, posting links to their own thought-leadership, blog posts and interviews. All of these posts are then searchable based on an expansive list of categories, maximizing ease of use.
Knowledge base
The nature of the IR profession has changed and evolved, and many IROs and themselves being asked to do more with less. Yet IROs’ relationships and decisions have a profound impact on the companies they work for and they are often required to act as strategic advisers to the C-suite and the board. To do this, IR professionals must stay abreast of developments in their industry, among their investors and in their profession.
But the volume of thought-leadership produced today can make it hard to stay up to date, which is why IRspace features a unique library of more than 150 research reports, white papers, blog posts, videos and webinars from 25 leading industry providers, including the likes of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Bloomberg, Ipreo and Nasdaq, and articles from the IR Magazine archive. All of the thought-leadership is downloadable, allowing members to print, share with colleagues and read at their own convenience.
‘I’m definitely a fan of having all of this research in one place, so you can draw on different articles and surveys and have an opportunity to throw a question out to the broader network on the platform,’ says Gunhild Grieve, head of investor relations at RWE. ‘The more the platform is used, the more it will become a one-stop-shop.’
What’s next for IRspace?
As IRspace continues to grow, we intend to expand the features and resources available. Later this year we will launch a tool that will allow members to survey other IRspace members on the platform. We are also committed to providing a recruitment and careers component, so that IRspace can support you across all aspects of your professional life.
We are also very open to user feedback at this early stage. Is there a feature you think we should introduce, or functionality that would further improve the site? If so, please send your suggestions to David Barrett at [email protected].
To apply to join IRspace, please visit IRspace.com or go to IRmagazine.com/irspace for more information.
This article was originally published in the Spring 2017 issue of IR Magazine.
