News
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Earnings season: Navigating financial guidance amid macroeconomic uncertainty
In the current climate it is the transparency and rigor of guidance rather than the precise figures that matters most. And, as public companies prepare to report earnings for the March 2025 quarter, it is important to evaluate how best to communicate financial guidance and manage investor expectations in the context of ongoing market volatility and geopolitical disruption.
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Wall Street caught between a rock and a hard place as tensions between US and China rise
The trade war between China and the US has spiraled into unchartered territory. On April 10, Donald Trump’s administration imposed a tariff of 125 percent on all Chinese imports. China called the actions unfair and responded with similar measures. Within the broader debate around unravelling economic ties between the US and China, where economic interdependence has increasingly been viewed as a threat to US national security, this escalation raises questions about whether global finance is also reducing its presence in China.
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Enhancing decision quality through advanced investor intelligence: the hidden engine of competitive advantage
In today’s volatile and hyper-competitive markets, the difference between a market leader and an also-ran often comes down to one crucial factor: decision quality. While product innovation, brand recognition and capital access are still important, it is the consistency and accuracy of decisions — particularly strategic, operational, and financial ones — that sets enduring winners apart in terms of valuation. For public companies, this is especially true at the management team and IR level, where every choice can ripple across long-term growth trajectories, investor perception and ultimately valuation.
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Small (and a mid) caps hit big: Aecon, Calian and TransAlta take three apiece at the IR Impact Awards – Canada 2025
In an event packed with the highest achieving IR teams in Canada, it was two small-cap companies and a mid-cap firm that punched hardest, with Aecon Group, Calian Group and TransAlta Corporation each taking home three IR Impact Awards at the black-tie ceremony in Toronto last night. TransAlta took the trophy for best overall investor relations and best investor relations officer for Tamara Cook – both in the mid-cap category – as well as winning its sector award in utilities. The two small-cap companies also won some of the most prestigious awards of the night, with Aecon claiming best overall…
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What does Trump’s so-called ‘Liberation Day’ mean for IR?
After weeks of warnings, Donald Trump finally revealed his full suite of new industry tariffs from the White House Lawn on Wednesday. Announcing the slew of trade measures as ‘Liberation Day’, the US president said that the economic policies would mark the day American industry was ‘reborn’ and the day the country was ‘made wealthy again’. For many IROs, it will herald a period of volatility and uncertainty as they scramble to find out what the implications of those moves will be on their companies.
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Building from a baseline: how IR teams are using new data sources to unlock smarter decision-making
As any IR professional knows all too well, the market is awash with a wealth of data from myriad sources. Everything from earnings calls to websites to press releases – both from your company and from your peers – can help inform strategic IR work. But where do you start without becoming completely overwhelmed? This was what panelists Erik Carlson, chief operating officer at Notified, Glenn Schulman, founder and head of IR at Z3 BioCommunications, and Amanda Tang, head of IR at TMX Group, tackled in a recent IR Impact Webinar, held alongside Notified.
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‘Err on the side of transparency’: Dave Bezanson on how to execute a successful earnings
Ahead of our upcoming IR Impact Forum – Canada, set to be held in Toronto on April 3, we have caught up with some of the event’s leading speakers to understand their outlook for investor communications in Canada.
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Fluent in the language of IR: Duolingo wins big at IR Impact Awards – US
Language-learning giant Duolingo was the big winner among a room full of IR excellence at the IR Impact Awards – US in New York on March 26. The firm took home two of the most coveted gongs of the night: best overall investor relations (mid-cap) and best investor relations officer (mid cap) for Debbie Belevan. Duolingo also topped its sector category, winning the best in technology trophy against fierce competition.
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SEC releases decisions on DEI proposals under new 14a-8 guidance
The SEC’s initial decisions on whether companies may exclude shareholder proposals under new guidance continue to suggest no blanket indicators of how the agency’s staff will land on certain topics – including in the high-profile diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) space. That’s according to another provisional analysis by IR Impact sister site Governance Intelligence of 14a-8 decisions published by the division of corporation finance since it released Staff Legal Bulletin (SLB) No 14M on February 12
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People moves: Debbie Hancock joins Lamb Weston and Caroline Dawson moves to Reckitt
Debbie Hancock, the former senior vice president of investor relations at toy maker Hasbro, has taken up a new IR role at French fry producer Lamb Weston. Hancock, who left her position at Hasbro in February 2024 after 15 years at the company, has a career in investor relations that spans 30 years, including a 15-year stint as director of IR at APC by Schneider Electric. She has been a member of NIRI since the mid-90s.
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Amid such a complex environment, IR’s job is to keep things simple
It’s certainly a wild time to be an IRO. While uncertainty is always present in the market, companies are dealing with major surprises far more frequently at the moment. On any day, corporate strategies and financial guidance could be thrown into doubt by a policy announcement, geopolitical shift or another factor.
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How long do you have to be ‘short’? Recent debate puts spotlight on the movements of short sellers
Short seller reports can have a huge impact on the stocks they target. Everyone from regulators to law firms and even Netflix are looking to the impact of shorting stocks – with one law firm arguing free speech is being put at risk In the stock market, the traditional way to make money is to buy shares in a company and wait for the share price to rise. Another way is to short a company and wait for the share price to go down and buy back the cheaper shares. If the share price goes up, those shares must quickly…
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Why anxiety is your biggest enemy in communications
How much time and thought have we spent building scenarios and thinking about the reception of a report, a press release or a statement on a current issue where our company or client is expected to have – or even required to have – an opinion? Knowing your subject too well is often the big risk when it comes to communications: it presents the risk that your story will be far too detailed and ultimately incomprehensible. The point of your story will disappear in a cadre of details that do not contribute to the overall picture, much less to the…
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People moves: FactSet names Kevin Toomey as head of IR
Financial data provider FactSet has named Kevin Toomey as its new head of IR. He takes over from Yet He, the current interim head of investor relations, who will continue in his role as treasurer and head of financial planning and analysis. Most recently, Toomey was vice president of IR at Secureworks. Before that, he ran IR at Latch, which focuses on keyless security systems. Overall, he has more than 20 years of experience across IR, equity research and finance.
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CIBC and Calian Group lead the pack ahead of the IR Impact Awards – Canada 2025
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) and Calian Group will be the favorites ahead of the IR Impact Awards – Canada 2025, with both companies featuring on the short lists for seven awards apiece. The gala event, which will take place in Toronto this April, aims to recognize Canada’s leading publicly listed companies and IR practitioners across a wide range of categories.
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The valuation engine: thriving in the age of infinite momentum
We have entered the ‘Age of Infinite Momentum’, where disruption unfolds faster than understanding. Strategic adaptability is the indispensable skill of the elevated IRO as they find themselves on fluid terrain, as market forces, technological disruption, geopolitical shocks, regulatory changes and shifting investor expectations converge at an exponential pace.
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People moves: Darren Snellgrove to head Johnson & Johnson’s IR team as Jessica Moore takes CFO role
Plus new IROs at Essential Utilities and Liberty Latin America
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‘Without my Bloomberg screen, I have to be creative’: Five things we learned from IROs who switched from the sell side
It’s news to no one that investor relations is increasingly appealing to former sell siders. Events from the financial crisis to the introduction of Mifid II in Europe have combined with trends around the increase of passive investing and a squeeze on the sell side to drive some to look elsewhere – with many landing on IR
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How to leverage generative AI to transform your research
One of the biggest challenges in many research fields is keeping pace with rapid advancements
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Reddit leads nominations just one year after its IPO ahead of the IR Impact Awards – US 2025
Other companies topping the shortlists include Duolingo, Moody’s Corporation, JPMorgan Chase & Co and GE Aerospace The IR team at Reddit will hope to turn a successful IPO year into a successful night of award wins, after the social media company picked up six nominations at the upcoming IR Impact Awards – US 2025. The […]
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Driving growth: unleashing Saudi Arabia’s investor relations potential
As Saudi Arabia continues to take solid steps to achieve a number of strategic objectives under the Vision 2030 umbrella, the role of IR in the Kingdom is undergoing a major transformation.
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‘AI is not a singular tool but an entire ecosystem’: Isabel Vilela on how her approach to AI has grown in a year
GoviEx Uranium’s Isabel Vilela speaks ahead of the AI and Technology Forum – Europe
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The art of trajectory: how AI-powered analytics can help distribute your messages effectively
Advanced data analytics and AI have unlocked unprecedented insights into behaviors, preferences and emerging trends
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Is DEI dead or alive at US companies this proxy season?
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Over recent times, the acronym has become inescapable – and corporate life is no exception
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Clear Street’s commitment to corporate access and the ‘power of prime’
Corporate access is an integral factor in success for public company management teams today
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Global Roadshow Report 2025 available now
Investor roadshows have become a pivotal element in IR programs, serving as a crucial platform for companies to connect with potential investors and ensure their stock remains actively traded. In a rapidly evolving post-pandemic market, the format of these roadshows has diversified, incorporating both in-person and virtual elements to cater to a broader audience. The […]
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Guidance in the GCC: Analysts and investors favor the few (that share forward-looking metrics)
A ‘quiet transformation’ is taking place across the Gulf Cooperation Council region, but guidance remains relatively rare Across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a quiet transformation is underway – one that could reshape how companies communicate with investors and influence the broader dynamics of capital allocation. At its heart, this transformation revolves around two critical […]
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Storytelling, reinvention and quizzing your analysts: Four things we learned at the IR Magazine Forum – South East Asia 2024
Though it was chilly back in IR Magazine’s London home, at the end of November myself and our events team made the painful decision to fly to warmer climes in Singapore, where we would stage the IR Magazine Forum – South East Asia 2024. We were joined there by senior IR professionals from across Indonesia, […]
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The new currency of power: the role of AI in targeted investor engagement
The most successful companies will be those who can leverage this technology without being consumed by it
