Plus IR teams expand at goeasy and Aspen Insurance
Spanish wireless telecommunications infrastructure and services firm Cellnex has brought in Maria Carrapato as its new group investor relations director.
In her new role at the Madrid-listed company, she will lead the IR team and report to Raimon Trias, Cellnex’s CFO. She previously served as head of IR and sustainability at Portuguese telecoms company NOS, where she worked since 2007.
Prior to that, Carrapato managed IR at two other publicly traded Portuguese companies, Sonae Indústria and Sonaecom, from 2000 to 2007.She started her career as an analyst at Banco Português do Atlântico and subsequently joined the international equity sales team at Banco Português de Investimento.
‘I am thrilled to join the Cellnex team and to contribute to the continued success of Europe’s leading provider of wireless telecom infrastructure. The company’s strong multinational culture and its deep commitment to responsible governance are truly inspiring’ she says in a press release announcing the move.
In the UK, water utility Pennon has unveiled Sarah Heald as its new chief strategy, regulatory affairs and investor relations officer.
She arrives at the FTSE-listed firm with more than 20 years of experience spanning corporate strategy, stakeholder engagement and investor relations in regulated industries, as well as previously serving on asset manager Aberdeen’s executive committee. She also spent five months as a strategic advisor to Pennon on a freelance basis.
In a press release announcing the move Susan Davy, Pennon’s CEO, says: ‘We’re delighted Sarah is re-joining Pennon in this pivotal role. She brings a rare combination of sector knowledge, strategic insight and experience across a range of regulated industries. As the water sector evolves in response to the Cunliffe Review and rising public expectations, Sarah will be instrumental in helping us lead the way.’
Meanwhile in Austria, Veinna-listed IT security company Austriacard has announced the appointment of Dimitris Haralabopoulos as its new group investor relations director.
Described in a press release as a ‘seasoned professional’, Haralabopoulos’s 20-year career includes senior roles at LAMDA Development, the National Bank of Greece and Marfin Investment Group and saw him recently named as a top IR professional in the Emerging EMEA Executive Team survey by Extel.
Over in Canada, the Mississauga, Ontario-based financial services firm goeasy has brought in James Obright as its new vice president of investor relations and capital markets.
He joins the TSX-listed company after a 20-year stint on the sell-side, most recently serving as managing director in RBC’s Canadian equity capital markets group, where he acted as the lead advisor on a broad range of equity and equity-linked transactions.
‘James brings a deep understanding of capital markets and a long-standing track record of excellence in investor engagement and deal execution,’ says Dan Rees, goeasy’s CEO.
‘His addition to our leadership team is instrumental as we continue to scale our business, expand our capital base and deliver long-term value to shareholders.’
Obright replaces Farhan Ali Khan, who has progressed to assume the position of chief revenue officer of LendCare, goeasy’s point-of-sale financing division.
Finally, the NYSE-listed but Bermuda-based insurance group Aspen has brought in Mariza Costa as its new head of IR.
Most recently serving as vice president, rating agency relations and corporate finance at Everest Group, Mariza also held roles at AM Best Company’s ratings division, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty and Stifel Nicolaus.
Mark Pickering, Aspen Group CFO, says: ‘Mariza is an excellent addition to the Aspen family, representing an important step in advancing Aspen’s engagement with our investor, analyst and ratings communities. Her extensive industry expertise, capital markets acumen and strong financial leadership will play an important role as we continue to further enhance our financial performance and profitability for our shareholders.’
