As part of International Women’s Day, IR Magazine looks at a selection of articles addressing the many facets of equality and inclusion.
The issue of equality begins, in many ways, with pay parity. Therefore, the revelation that salaries remain higher for men than women in 2016 for both IR heads and IROs/IR managers, according to the IR Magazine Global Salary Report 2016, is highly relevant.
On the same theme, but showing the issue is far from new, Elizabeth Judd explored the pay gap revealed by IR Magazine’s global survey of IR practices in 2013.
In many areas of business, glass ceilings are cited as a barrier to the progress of women ‒ and the IR profession is no different, as Garnet Roach reported recently: far fewer women make it into top jobs in investor relations.
On a similar theme, Linda-Eling Lee, global head of ESG research at MSCI, discussed the much mooted issue surrounding getting more women onto company boards.
Some women do make it to the top, though: TSMC veteran and IR rock star Elizabeth Sun revealed recently that she doesn’t believe share price is beyond IR’s control.
Another woman at the top of her game, TD Bank’s Colleen Johnston, gave a fascinating interview last year, revealing how IR works as a competitive advantage for companies.
For Catherine James, the former head of IR at Diageo, the practice of investor relations is intrinsically connected to what the company does.
And Blair Christie, Cisco’s former senior vice president and chief marketing officer, discussed her career, the role of IR and how marketing to the public compares with reaching out to investors.
On a wider inclusion level, and to help investors fully understand the developing ESG investment universe, Thomson Reuters launched a Diversity & Inclusion Index.
And focusing on diversity at the top in Canada, Nicole Guillot explained that under new rules, public companies must disclose their plans for getting women into power positions.
