CIRI’s annual conference reveals uncertainty about macroeconomy
I’m writing this week’s update from a stormy lakeside gathering of Canada’s IROs in Niagara-on-the-Lake, a picturesque town just downstream from the famous falls.
CIRI’s annual conference brings together hundreds of IROs from across the ‘true north’, from Toronto-based multinationals through to tiny mining companies based in the wilds.
There were some clear themes running through the day, perhaps the most resounding of all being the potential for macroeconomic disruption coming from Washington, DC.
Kicking off the conference was an interview with Jaret Seiberg, managing director at TD Cowen, who gave attendees an overview of the current big picture. Naturally, it was dominated by talk of Donald Trump’s trade policies, the expected impact of a new regime at the SEC or the US Senate and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
Despite Chris Makuch, Notified’s senior director of sales for Canada, promising (with his tongue firmly in his cheek) that they would ‘solve all economic issues facing not just Canada, but North America and the world’, it was clear that the path forward was unclear.
For one, there’s Trump’s growing reputation for capitulating on his promises, hence being followed by the apt acronym ‘TACO’ (Trump always chickens out).
For another, there’s the fact that the US president often obfuscates his true intentions behind unclear rhetoric. ‘When Trump says something you have to try and look behind the scenes to work out what is really going on,’ Seiberg explained.
But keeping up with a changing market is bread and butter for IROs, with those in attendance at the CIRI conference unified in their approach to good stakeholder communications going ahead.
A later panel on crisis communications seemed particularly timely, with a clear message that keeping up consistent and transparent messaging is key to maintaining reputation, brand and trust in the market, said Colin Eadie, director, investment banking at TD Securities.
I’ll be writing up more takeaways from CIRI’s conference next week, once the dust has settled on our own European awards in London – that is so long as I survive our trip to one of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s vineyards in tonight’s stormy weather.
But for now, I’m curious to hear more about how our non-US readers are tackling the chaos of Trump’s second term. Let us know, either via LinkedIn or at [email protected].
