IROs gathered from across Europe to toast the continent’s leading lights
Now the confetti has been picked up and the hangovers are starting to clear, it’s a great time to reflect on last week’s celebrations at the IR Impact Awards – Europe 2025.
More than 300 of Europe’s leading IROs joined us for a night of food, drink and connections at the swanky Peninsula London hotel, where eDreams ODIGEO, Iberdrola and Infineon Technology emerged as the big winners with three awards apiece.
Personally, it’s always a pleasure to catch up with IR professionals from across the continent and hear what they’ve been up to for the past year. It’s also a great chance to see just how creative Europe’s IROs are when it comes to their own celebrations, too.
For one, it was great to see the judging panel’s favorite mascot – Fresenius Medical Care’s furry friend IR Teddy – appear with his colleagues’ trophy for best use of social media and video on LinekdIn. Teddy is the face of the Fresenius IR team’s social media program, appearing on posts across the medical firm’s online outreach, and is something of a celebrity, as well as a key part of its IR communications.
‘Being cuddly is a clear advantage in today’s IR-world,’ wrote Dominik Heger, Fresenius’ executive vice president and head of IR, on LinkedIn. ‘We feel very honored for this recognition of our unconventional social media approach.’
Elsewhere in Germany, Markus Heidler, head of IR at Salzgitter, celebrated the company’s best in sector award for the materials industry with a familiar feeling.
‘Last Friday, our sons received their school reports,’ he wrote on LinkedIn. ‘I also brought home something like a school report that day… This award confirms that our active and transparent IR work is on the right track.’
For many, it was an opportunity to catch up with old colleagues, as exemplified by Richard Manning, head of IR at International Workplace Group, who was awarded the gong for best investor targeting by his former Merrill Lynch colleague and current managing director at Bank of America, Mark Troman.
As always, it’s impossible to put on such an awards show without the backing of our sponsors and partners, including Europe’s many IR associations. AERI’s managing director Javier Rodriguez-Vega was quick to point out that Spain’s listed firms picked up eight awards between them, while IR Club Schweiz’s board member Hazel Winchester enjoyed her first IR Impact awards.
‘The event was not only a celebration of the outstanding work in our field, but also a powerful reminder of the connections, conversations and camaraderie that define the global IR community,’ she wrote on LinkedIn.
A special mention for two IROs from Purcari Wineries, the Moldovan and Romanian wine producer, who travelled the furthest to attend the event. Victoria Moldovan, the group’s senior IR and ESG manager, took home the trophy for rising star.
Her colleague, Eugeniu Baltag, was shortlisted for the same award last year and was an energetic presence throughout the night, despite juggling roles in IR, audit and M&A, as well as being a full-time father.
On LinkedIn, he revealed his secret weapons: ‘Power naps (on planes, in Ubers, even on the double-decker) and reading anywhere I can,’ he wrote. ‘Reading a case for Strategic thinking and business development between meetings, on a bench next to Wellington Arch, made the learning feel more special.’
Did you have any takeaways from the day’s festivities? Let us know, either via LinkedIn, or email us on [email protected].
