News
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The CFO: ‘Nothing opens a presentation better than something from r/dadjokes,’ says Reddit finance chief
Drew Vollero, CFO at Reddit, is used to doing things a little differently. He oversees the finance function at the social media giant at a time when its investor relations team are receiving plaudits for their unique approach to shareholder communications. The firm took home two trophies at last year’s US IR Impact Awards – for best innovation in shareholder communications and the coveted rising star award for Jesse Rose. Ahead of this year’s event, Vollero talks about where recognition like this fits into Reddit’s measure of IR success, how his own approach to IR has evolved across a career…
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People moves: Joshua Levine served up as Campbell’s head of IR as Rebecca Gardy retires
Consumer goods firm The Campbell’s Company has announced that Joshua Levine will be taking over the reins of its IR team, as head of IR Rebecca Gardy retires after a six-year tenure at the firm.
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‘Be the filter, be the synthesis’: How IR teams are staying organized and informed in volatile times
At a time when geopolitical events seem more unpredictable than ever, the capital markets are in a corresponding state of flux in 2026. For any IRO trying to both parse market events for their own understanding and to keep their investors and other stakeholders well informed, it poses an increasingly complicated challenge – one that requires keeping up with sector peers and macroeconomic events externally as well as keeping internal audiences abreast of developments.
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How IR teams are driving value with market intelligence in an increasingly passive market
The structure of the global equity market has transformed dramatically over the last three decades – and investor relations teams now operate in a landscape where passive capital is not just influential, but dominant. Passive strategies represented only a sliver of US equity fund assets in the early 1990s. Today, they account for more than half of the investable market, and their share is still expanding.
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Negative growth, reaching out and stakeholders: Curbing jargon in investor relations
Most investor relations officers I know are expert communicators. They tend not to rely on jargon or buzzwords to tell their stories – in fact, most of their stakeholders can see through any obfuscation, or will pick up on any woolly language as a negative indicator.
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Why stocks fall after earnings: The hidden power of tone, language and sentiment
Every quarter, many public companies face an all too familiar – and deeply frustrating – script: strong results, solid guidance, yet the stock price declines the moment results hit and the pressure continues through the next one or two trading sessions.
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Why companies and investors need AI performance scorings
During the panic of 1873, 36 percent of corporate bonds in the US defaulted and over 100 railroad companies issuing bonds collapsed. There were no scorings or ratings to objectively assess the underlying financial strength of these bonds.
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‘Start with the objective, not the technology’: Infineon’s Daniel Györy on ensuring AI drives value for his IR program
For Daniel Györy, senior director, investor relations at German semiconductor firm Infineon Technologies, AI is only worth using if it can ‘meaningfully’ improve an IRO’s day-to-day work.
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People moves: Former summer sales intern promoted to lead IR at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co
Sara Walsh, who started her Arthur J. Gallagher & Co career as a summer intern, has been named as the global insurance brokerage’s new investor relations lead. She has been with the company for almost 20 years, holding positions of increasing responsibility in corporate finance and treasury. She became a Chartered Financial Analyst charter holder in 2016 and was recognized by Business Insurance as a ‘woman to watch’ honoree in 2025. ‘With Sara’s strong financial background and understanding of the capital markets, she will be a terrific leader of our investor relations, corporate finance and treasury functions,’ says Douglas Howell,…
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Moody’s leads the way with five nominations ahead of the IR Impact Awards – US 2026
GE Aerospace and Orthofix Medical follow closely with four nominations each, alongside other notable names including last year’s winners Duolingo and Reddit Financial intelligence and credit rating company Moody’s leads the pack ahead of the IR Impact Awards – US 2026, gaining the most nominations across categories such as best innovation in shareholder communications, best IR website, best sell-side […]
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Enabled from the top: Why IR success in 2026 is ultimately a C-suite decision
The IR function has always existed in the space between what a company believes about itself and what the market actually hears. In 2026, with AI tools increasing access to data, that space has become wider, noisier and far more consequential.
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Why capital allocation is the new equity story in the AI era
A familiar pattern is dominating the current earnings season: companies deliver clean beats on revenue and earnings – then see their shares wobble or sell off as management outlines higher-than-expected capex and a longer-dated investment phase. Alphabet and Amazon are prominent examples, but the takeaway for CFOs and IROs is broader: capital allocation has become the equity story. In an AI-driven market, the debate is no longer simply about growth. It’s about how that growth is funded, how long elevated investment will persist and what returns the capex is expected to generate. Investors aren’t punishing ambition; they’re repricing capital intensity,…
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US boards answer to all shareholders, not just the loudest ones
There is a growing habit – mostly American, often loud – of treating ESG as a single cultural package: climate, DEI and whatever social flashpoint dominates the cycle. It makes for sharp copy. It is also a category error in the markets where stewardship decisions are actually made. In the UK and EU, ESG is regulated process: rules, disclosures and supervisory expectations designed to surface financially material sustainability risks. Think less ‘cause’, more ‘cash flow’. Across the UK and Europe, faith-based investing has long been expressed through formal, responsible-investment practice rather than culture-war branding. Since the 18th century, Church and…
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How investor relations teams tackled roadshows last year
How long did you and your IR colleagues spend on the road last year? According to our latest research, you were travelling an average of 12.1 days for in-person roadshows in 2025 and a further 5.4 days on virtual roadshows. In total, according to our deputy editor Garnet Roach and the IR Impact research department, that means our readers spent a total of 3,520 days travelling for roadshows last year – or, if you like, a total of a decade.
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People moves: Disney brings in Benjamin Swinburne as Airbus promotes Jean-Christophe Henoux
Global entertainment giant The Walt Disney Company has appointed Benjamin Swinburne as executive vice president of investor relations and corporate strategy.
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Why IR websites are moving from ‘platform-first’ to ‘flexibility-first’ in 2026
Most corporate investor websites were built for a simpler digital era. What used to be a dedicated IR microsite – hosted separately, updated through a vendor portal and managed via templated pages – no longer meets the demands of today’s digital environment.
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How overseas investors are shaping the future of Brazil’s capital markets
No economy can develop without infrastructure. Roads, energy and technology underpin production, entrepreneurship and wealth creation. In capital markets, however, there is a less visible – yet equally essential – form of infrastructure that remains persistently underestimated: investor financial literacy.
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People moves: Karen Blomquist joins Albany International as GoldMining appoints Martin Dumont
Karen Blomquist has joined NYSE-listed materials science developer Albany International as its new director of investor relations. Formerly an investor relations consultant for BD Emerson, Blomquist joins Albany after two years as vice president of investor relations at P3 Health Partners.
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Use of the word ‘diversity’ in corporate disclosures drops sharply in 2025, research shows
New disclosure data shows how quickly corporate language can shift as boards respond to legal, regulatory and investor pressure Only 36 percent of the top 100 US companies mentioned the word ‘diversity’ in human capital management disclosures – compared to 96 percent who did so in 2024 – according to a new report which demonstrates […]
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A material focus: BlackRock refocuses its 2026 voting stance in a tumultuous proxy landscape
BlackRock’s updates its stewardship expectations for 2026 following criticism of its decarbonization plans in New York BlackRock will renew its focus on long-term financial performance and take a more pragmatic approach to environmental policies at investee companies in 2026, according to its updated US Stewardship guidelines for 2026, as proxy advisers and companies continue to […]
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People moves: Former head of IR takes over as CFO at Bank of Singapore
Bank of Singapore has appointed Collins Chin, formerly the head of IR of its parent company Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC), as its new CFO. Chin joined OCBC in July 2009 as the head of group financial and management reporting, assuming the position of head of investor relations in May 2013. There, he led the Singapore Stock Exchange-listed bank’s engagement with the investment community and oversaw shareholder communications around capital raising and M&A initiatives.
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From shareholder to managerial capitalism: how proxy firm regulation and 14a-8 reform will define IR in 2026
In October 2025, Tesla CEO Elon Musk deployed provocative language characterizing proxy advisors as ‘corporate terrorists’ following ISS’s recommendation that shareholders reject his proposed $1 trn compensation package. Musk argued that ISS and Glass Lewis ‘have no actual ownership themselves’ yet effectively control corporate governance outcomes through their recommendations to investors. This identifies a genuine agency problem: proxy advisors bear no economic consequences from their recommendations.
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People moves: Joris Silon takes over as head of IR at AstraZeneca as Dollar Tree brings in Daniel Delrosario
London-listed biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has brought in Joris Silon as its new head of IR, in a move effective from 1 March. Silon, who previously served as the firm’s country president for AstraZeneca US, will replace Andy Barnett, who is taking up another internal position.
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Managing expectations in 2026: Why valuation stability depends on perception, not just performance
As companies move through 2026, one lesson stands out clearly: delivering strong results is no longer sufficient to protect valuation. Across markets in 2025, share-price volatility was driven less by execution and more by misalignment between investor expectations and management’s forward-looking narrative. In this environment, the IR function has become a strategic discipline. Beyond communicating performance, IR teams are increasingly responsible for aligning market perception with a company’s long-term value creation path. When that alignment breaks down, even earnings beats can result in sharp corrections, elevated volatility and weakened investor confidence.
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The six hats shaping the IRO role in 2026
Investor relations has never been a static function, but the pace and breadth of change now shaping the role today underscore a redefinition of how IR contributes to enterprise leadership. What once felt like incremental role expansion is becoming a structural rewrite of the job itself.
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‘I want us to have influence on the big issues IROs are facing,’ says Investor Relations Society’s new CEO
Having taken the society’s CEO reins from Laura Hayter in October last year, Matt Hall spent his first months in listening mode, keen to hear what the UK’s IR professionals need from the body that represents them, learning about the big issues that are changing investor relations and thinking about how he can shape a society that delivers ‘value and insight’ at every touchpoint. Prior to taking on his new role, Hall held senior roles at various other representative membership organizations within financial and professional services, including UK Finance, the Chartered Insurance Institute and TheCityUK. Here, he tells IR Impact…
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IR in the age of AI: How answer engine optimization will transform content visibility
Content visibility and engagement are always key priorities for IR professionals. As AI and large language models (LLMs) become a primary source of information for buy-side and sell-side analysts, content visibility and narrative control are constantly shifting, creating new challenges in how audiences discover and engage with IR corporate content.
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Janet Craig: Ten things I am doing to up my IR game in 2026
Predictably, as I moved into the New Year, I thought about what I wanted to accomplish over the coming 12 months. There are many opportunities for professional development, but my focus is on areas where I can hone my craft, build relationships and pay it forward. Here are 10 IR things I want to do in 2026:
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What makes an equity narrative compelling? An investor survey offers clear perspective
In today’s competitive capital markets, crafting a compelling equity narrative is more than a communications exercise; it is a strategic imperative. But what distinguishes the enduring from the generic? BNY’s Market Insights and Initiatives team, in partnership with S&P Global, surveyed 40 institutional investors across six continents, representing $2 trillion in equity assets under management, to answer this question.
