How is Thaioil’s IR team set up?
Our team, which reports to our CFO Pattaralada Sa-Ngasang, includes five people. In addition to the IR manager, there are two assistant managers and two members focusing on securities law compliance who are the main points of contact for IR activities and who handle inquiries from stakeholders.
How many meetings and roadshows did the IR team conduct this year? In general, has the IR team done more travelling this year, and where to?
This year we’ve been to Singapore and Taiwan during Q1, and to the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore in Q2. For the rest of the year, we’re planning to go back to the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore and also travel to Japan and the US.
What is the most popular question you get asked by investors and/or analysts at the moment?
We get asked about our market outlook, our key investment projects and overall company strategy, and our funding plan and dividend.
Could you detail your investor base? Have you benefited from having foreign investors?
Currently, foreign investors hold 22.3 percent of shares, a stable figure year on year. Their stake in our Thai NVDRs [non-voting DRs] has risen from 11.2 percent in 2016 to 16 percent this year. We see many benefits in having foreign investors. First it gives our company better visibility in their region. Second, many of our foreign investors are long term, which is important for a refinery business. Third, this access to capital markets outside Thailand helps support our company’s strategic growth in the long run.
Thaioil’s CFO won the award for best IR by a senior management team last year. How much of her time does she devote to IR, and what makes her IR approach special?
She participates in all IR activities, both local and international. As head of IR, she set up the IR function when the company was listed in 2004 and gives a monthly report about capital market conditions and our stock price to the board of directors. Moreover, she tries to join all roadshows and conferences in order to give investors the confidence to invest in the company. In addition, she has been the keynote speaker in many sessions organized by the Stock Exchange of Thailand.
