Two groups of award winners accompany ir impact to open new york markets
IR Impact was delighted to accompany two groups of award-winning IROs to open both major New York markets the morning after the IR Impact Awards – US 2026.
Despite staying up to the early hours celebrating the nation’s leading IR teams and officers at the Cipriani 25 Broadway the previous evening, representatives from the company were on Wall Street and at 4 Times Square at 9.30am on March 26 to ring in trading on the NYSE and the Nasdaq exchanges.
Steven Wade, IR Impact’s head of content, had the honors of opening up trading on the NYSE along with several of this year’s IR Impact award winners, including Autonation’s Bryan Kloster, who took home the trophy for best use of technology including AI, and GoDaddy’s Christie Masoner, who won the award for best innovation in shareholder communications.
Wade also spoke to NYSE’s live host, Ashley Mastronardi, about the experience. He described it as ‘a little bit unnvering, but also incredible to come to a place like this with so much history and being given the honor to do that was just fascinating’.
At the same time a few blocks north, IR Impact’s CEO Gargi Iyer, president Ian Richman, head of sales Sébastien Dutrieu and head of operations Lauren Wilson did the corresponding honours at the Nasdaq exchange, accompanied by several award-winning and short listed IROs.
Speaking before ringing the bell, Iyer said: ‘It’s a privilege to be here with the best of the best in investor relations, the people who build transparency and trust in the markets every day.
‘We’re not just ringing the bell, we’re celebrating this community and the role you play’.
To view the whole Nasdaq opening ceremony, you can watch a video here.
Both openings came shortly after Newmark Group and Central Garden & Pet Company emerged as the frontrunners at the IR Impact Awards – US 2026, with both companies picking up three trophies each at a gala event in New York City.
To read more about the US awards, click here.
