German chemicals giant BASF retained its number one spot in the Euro Top 100 rankings at the IR Magazine Awards – Europe 2014, attracting a record number of nine nominations and taking home six accolades. This year’s dinner and ceremony, held at Grosvenor House in London’s Park Lane and hosted by business and economics radio and TV presenter Simon Jack, saw more than 350 IR professionals come together to celebrate the profession – and find out which of their peers would take home the most coveted awards of the night. In total, 32 awards were presented: 17 pan-European, six regional and nine best in sector.
Magdalena Moll’s team at BASF once again added to its ever-growing collection of IR trophies, including the grand prix for best overall investor relations and the best IR by a CFO award, both in the large-cap category. The chemicals firm was followed by German tire maker Continental, which climbed from fifth place to claim the number two position, as well as taking home four awards, including best investor relations officer for its head of IR, Rolf Woller.
Rounding out the top three was Diageo, which took home two awards on its home turf after forging ahead from outside the 2013 top 10. In fact, only three companies in this year’s top 10 – BASF, Continental and Novo Nordisk – also featured in last year’s. The highest climber to enter the 2014 top 10 was yet another German company, Deutsche Post, which jumped from joint 83rd place last year to eighth this year, and won the best-in-sector award in the industrials category.
Industrial gas major the Linde Group joined the top 10 for the first time in fourth position, alongside five other German companies. Just one year after jumping 108 places to number 21, the Munich-headquartered company, which saw the appointment of new CEO Dr Wolfgang Büchele in May, came in as first runner-up for the best-in-sector award in the materials category.
Dutch firm AkzoNobel won the most progress in IR award, while two new names made it into this year’s winners’ list: German medical and safety tech firm Drägerwerk won the grand prix for best overall investor relations in the small-cap category, and Franco-Italian luxury sportswear manufacturer Moncler claimed the best IR for an IPO award after a successful listing on the Milan Stock Exchange in December 2013.
The winners of the awards, which have been presented every year since 1991, were identified through a comprehensive research survey of 700 buy-side and sell-side analysts and portfolio managers across Europe. Full details of the research, including results and analysis, are available in the IR Magazine Investor Perception Study – Europe 2014. To order your copy of this year’s report, please visit www.irmagazine.com/research.
Click on the company name to jump to more information and award details:
| BASF | Allianz | Lanxess | Campari |
| Continental | Iberdrola | Swedbank | Vodafone Group |
| Diageo | Deutsche Post | AkzoNobel | Drägerwerk |
| Novo Nordisk | Unilever | Clariant | Moncler |
Magdalena Moll, BASF
‘I go to each region at least two or three times a year’
Euro Top 100 rank: 1
Awards
Grand prix for best overall investor relations (large cap)
Best IR by a CFO (large cap)
Best financial reporting
Best sustainability practice
Best in sector – materials
Regional award winner – Germany
What the investment community says: ‘BASF produces an exceptional investor handbook with industry and sector data that is both detailed and a good read’ – Switzerland, buy side
What the company says: ‘Geographical closeness and sharing the same time zone really helps in terms of how well you can get to know your investors. I go to each region at least two or three times a year but the rest is done by my IR directors who are there locally: I have full confidence in them’ – Magdalena Moll, head of IR
Euro Top 100 rank: 2
Awards
Best investor relations officer (large cap)
Best corporate governance
Best investor meetings
Best in sector – consumer discretionary
What the investment community says: ‘Rolf is amazing; he knows everything about tires and actively follows competitors’ results and announcements’ – Netherlands, buy side
What the company says: ‘It’s a challenge because investors have limited time and travel budgets. Offering a joint event [with other companies in the sector] makes it time-efficient for investors, who can see several firms all in one trip. We also get the benefit of a larger number of attendees’ – Rolf Woller, head of IR
Euro Top 100 rank: 3
Awards
Best in sector – consumer staples
Regional award winner – UK & Ireland
What the investment community says: ‘The presentations on different aspects of the business and the availability of both senior and middle management at IR events make Diageo stand out’ – UK, buy side
What the company says: ‘My advice would be to learn the numbers and make sure you’re well connected inside the business. You’re only going to get the information you need from [your co-workers] if you ensure they understand the value of investor relations to the business itself’ – Catherine James, head of IR
Euro Top 100 rank: 5
Awards
Best in sector – healthcare
Regional award winner – Northern Europe
What the investment community says: ‘I find Novo Nordisk excellent as it is happy to talk and highly knowledgeable about the sector. This means I seldom have to speak to senior management’ – Denmark, buy side
Euro Top 100 rank: 6
Awards
Best in sector – financials
What the investment community says: ‘Allianz is often awarded for its IR, and rightly so. Oliver Schmidt and his team have a fabulous mix of background knowledge on the insurance industry and a thorough company understanding’ – Germany, buy side
What the company says: ‘Existing shareholders always come first: if you own Allianz stock, you get preferential treatment; if there is room left on the schedule then, of course, we will see other potential investors as well’ – Oliver Schmidt, head of IR
Euro Top 100 rank: 7
Awards
Best in sector – utilities
Regional award winner – Southern Europe
What the investment community says: ‘Iberdrola is very responsive. If something happens in the industry, it will tell you and organize a meeting straightaway. If there are any changes in government or regulations that could have an impact, it will explain well ahead of other companies. It is the leader in the sector’ – Spain, buy side
What the company says: ‘Social media is growing rapidly, and more and more investors are dedicating time to this instead of meeting people. If we need to develop a new technology to get in contact with investors, we will do it’ – Ignacio Cuenca, head of IR
Martin Ziegenbalg, Deutsche Post
‘Our target has been growth-oriented shareholders’
Euro Top 100 rank: 8
Awards
Best in sector – industrials
What the investment community says: ‘Deutsche Post has a consistent message that never oversells. We have been taken on site visits both here and in Germany where the clarity was much appreciated’ – UK, buy side
What the company says: ‘Over the past two or three years, our target has been to make sure the group’s improved situation made us more attractive to growth-oriented shareholders’ – Martin Ziegenbalg, head of IR
Euro Top 100 rank: 11
Awards
Best use of technology
What the investment community says: ‘Unilever has the full suite of apps and investor updates, and it’s always easy to find what you want on the website. It is really ‘out there’ at the moment’ – UK, sell side
What the company says: ‘Of course we deal with SRI-type funds but, more generally, we’re trying to have everyday investors understand that sustainability makes us stronger because we are innovating in a way that consumers – who increasingly care about where their food comes from or how much plastic is in the packaging, for example – are excited about’ – James Allison, head of IR
Oliver Stratmann, Lanxess
‘Know your customers’
Euro Top 100 rank: 13
Awards
Grand prix for best overall investor relations (mid-cap)
Best investor relations officer (small & mid-cap)
What the investment community says: ‘Highly proactive IR from Lanxess and it calls us regularly. It is also exceptionally good at setting realistic expectations for each quarter’ – Italy, buy side
What the company says: ‘I won’t give the classical advice of being informed and accessible, because that is something of a no-brainer. My advice would be to fully realize that IR is a people’s business and that you should therefore always remain a human being: know your ‘customers’, appreciate their needs and then act accordingly’ – Oliver Stratmann, head of IR
Euro Top 100 rank: 14
Awards
Best IR by a CEO (large cap)
What the investment community says: ‘The IR team at Swedbank is prepared to talk through difficult issues and the disclosure is extremely thorough. The CEO is close to his shareholders and appears to be on their side’ – Norway, sell side
What the company says: ‘Our drive for and focus on transparency and openness has not only transformed our bank but also to some extent set a new standard in the Nordic and European banking sector’ – Michael Wolf, CEO
Euro Top 100 rank: 21
Awards
Most progress in IR
What the investment community says: ‘Akzo consistently delivers relevant, quality information and provides frequent meetings with top management. The IRO is first-rate’ – UK, sell side
What the company says: ‘Companies now generally attribute real value to investor communications and there is increased recognition of the value a good IR professional can add. I believe the trend toward specialized training and qualifications will reinforce this value’ – Jonathan Atack, head of investor relations
Dr Ulrich Steiner, Clariant
‘We focus on strategic topics, not short-term issues’
Euro Top 100 rank: 32
Awards
Best IR by a CFO (small & mid-cap)
What the investment community says: ‘Patrick Jany at Clariant is a stand-out CFO. He is approachable, helpful and provides clear, detailed numbers’ – UK, sell side
What the company says: ‘We talk to the investor community and financial analysts about the topics that should be covered and then align those topics to the greatest extent possible with our key messages. We focus on strategic topics, not short-term issues’ – Dr Ulrich Steiner, head of group communications and investor relations
Euro Top 100 rank: 56
Awards
Best IR by a CEO (small & mid-cap)
What the investment community says: ‘The CEO of Campari, Bob Kunze-Concewitz, is very engaging, good at explaining what’s going on and shares the logic behind his decisions’ – UK, sell side
Peregrine Riviere, Vodafone
‘The important factor was the strength of the deal team’
Euro rank: =136
Awards
Best IR during a corporate transaction
What the investment community says: ‘Vodafone takes IR very seriously and good communications are a priority’ – UK, sell side
What the company says: ‘My advice internally was that shareholders would reasonably expect to see four things: a great price, a generous return of capital, a plan for investment and differentiation, and a clear future dividend policy. Our communication was built around those four key pillars. The really important factor was the strength and unity of the deal team’ – Peregrine Riviere, head of IR
Euro rank: =166
Awards
Grand prix for best overall investor relations (small cap)
What the investment community says: ‘Thomas Fischler, IRO at Drägerwerk, is by far the best in my universe. He has good knowledge of the numbers and actually calls me when there are any developments in the company or the industry. That’s unheard of from any of my other companies’ – Germany, sell side
What the company says: ‘Getting onto the radar screen of the larger institutional investors is the main challenge for a company our size. Securing the right coverage is absolutely essential but simply keeping up the relationships and generating a good flow of news can prove difficult, compared with larger-cap firms, which have plenty of M&A activity to discuss and new production sites to present here and there’ – Thomas Fischler, head of IR
Paola Durante, Moncler
‘We helped our audience understand Moncler ahead of the IPO’
Euro rank: =342
Awards
Best IR for an IPO
What the investment community says: ‘I went to a fashion event Moncler put on in Milan and was very impressed, especially by the IRO who, as a former equities analyst, knows exactly how these things should be done’ – Italy, buy side
What the company says: ‘Keeping in mind the objective of a listing, our CEO Remo Ruffini maintained the investor relationships he developed back in 2011 [during our first IPO attempt], continuously explaining the key pillars of our strategy, the heritage of our brand and the company’s DNA. This helped our audience understand Moncler ahead of the actual transaction’ – Paola Durante, head of investor relations and strategic planning
Other sector award winners
| Energy | Galp Energia |
| Technology & communications | Amadeus |
Other regional award winners
| Central & Eastern Europe | Magnit |
| Western Europe | Roche Holding |
