Best Practices
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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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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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IR for video games and AI for engagement: The biggest stories from 2025
In this January edition of the IR Voice podcast, host Laurie Havelock highlights the stories that defined 2025 for IR professionals: from CD Projekt’s Karolina Gnas bringing video‑game immersion into investor relations, to David Grunfeld’s insights on how AI is transforming engagement.
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Inside IR at Advanced Energy: ‘IR can talk to the world, but we can’t disclose everything,’ says Edwin Mok
Investor relations draws people who are attracted to the art of weaving complex sets of facts into coherent narratives. They are finance people, they are storytellers and, because IR may be the most personal area of business, they often find their way to the profession from distant parts of the corporate universe. Edwin Mok is senior vice president, strategic marketing and investor relations at Advanced Energy. The company is a global leader in engineered, precision power conversion, measurement and control solutions.
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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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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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IR Benchmarking report 2026
How much of your IR budget should you be allocating to external providers? And should you be rethinking that spend in the age of AI? How important is gender balance when hiring into your IR team? Are your peers struggling to make the case for senior management attending yet another virtual investor meeting? Our brand-new IR Benchmarking report has the answers. Packed with global data, peer comparisons and insights from award-winning IROs and CFOs, this is your go-to resource for aligning your IR strategy with market realities, justifying investment and highlighting your IR program’s strategic value internally.
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‘Market volatility necessitates a more thoughtful approach’: Four things we learned at the IR Impact Forum – Greater China 2025
The Hong Kong event brought together IR professionals and capital market experts to explore how the IR function should adapt When volatility and concentration risk become part of the backdrop for Chinese IROs targeting investors globally, new challenges emerge. From tailored engagement strategies to navigating unfamiliar capital market expertise, securing long-term investors requires consistency, long-term engagement and market insight. The IR Impact Forum […]
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‘The tolerance for inconsistency is zero’: Four things we learned at the IR Impact Forum – South East Asia 2025
The Singapore event brought together 100 senior IR experts to examine how the IR function is evolving The IR Impact Forum – South East Asia 2025 brought around 100 IR professionals to the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX) on December 2 to discuss how the IR function is evolving in the region. A series of panel […]
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The IR Benchmarking Report 2026 Global & Europe available now
A new year, a new name. In recognition of our flagship IR Benchmarking Tool, launched in early 2025, our long-running Global Practice Report has become the IR Benchmarking Report Bringing you research from several hundred IR professionals, it offers insights into everything from budgets and IR team analysis to sell-side coverage across markets caps and […]
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The IR Benchmarking Report 2026 Global & Europe
Here at IR Impact, we love to dive into the day-to-day of investor relations. How much companies are allocating to the IR budget – and, particularly in the AI era, how much of that is going to external service providers. We look at how many people are in the average IR team and which members of senior management are most involved in the program. All this – combined with research around analyst numbers, the evolution of virtual and much more – makes the IR Benchmarking Report 2026 a must-read for senior IROs looking to compare their approach with peers and…
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The IR Benchmarking Report 2026 Global & North America available now
This year we bring you a brand new, revamped IR Benchmarking Report that couples our survey research with interview and data from our flagship IR Benchmarking Tool. Alongside the data – covering everything from budgets to gender breakdowns, from analyst numbers to senior management attendance at virtual and in-person meetings – this report offers a […]
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The IR Benchmarking Report 2026 Global & North America
While the name is new – The IR Benchmarking Report replaces our long-running Global Practice Report – the insights we deliver have not changed. We have been running this research for 14 years, adapting questions as the IR profession changes, but always with the focus on helping our readers better understand how they can use IR benchmarking to learn from others and better their own IR program.
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Inside IR at Itron: ‘Part of IR’s DNA is being immune to being surprised,’ says Paul Vincent
How do IROs leverage their expertise within their companies? For Paul Vincent, VP of IR at Itron, the core of IR lies not only in conveying the company’s message but doing so in a way particular to each investor and analyst. Itron supplies innovative technologies that help utilities and cities manage energy and water. Vincent believes IR should help management shape strategy based on its own best judgment, not by deferring to investors’ views. IR’s job, he says, is to understand every individual investor and analyst so thoroughly as to communicate management’s thinking in the way each is prepared to…
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What goes into winning an IR Impact Award – live from the red carpet in Europe
What exactly goes into winning an IR Impact Award? We spoke to four nominees – and one of the judges – at this year’s event live on the red carpet. Hear what goes into the IR programs at Rheinmettal, Purcari Wineries, BAT and eDreams ODIGEO, as well as what one of our judges considers most important in an entry.
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‘It makes you realize how impactful the IR profession is’: Purcari Wineries’ Victoria Moldovan on being named Europe’s 2025 rising star
One of the best parts of our awards, wherever they may be, is giving IROs the chance to catch up with their peers, many of whom they may not see throughout the rest of the year. This is particularly true for the next generation of IR professionals, many of whom we recognize with our award for the rising star of the year, which picks out early-career IROs who are ones to watch for the future.
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‘We’ve tried to make the accessibility of our IR story much improved’: Victoria Buxton on innovating BAT’s communications
Keeping your communications with the financial markets fresh can be a challenge for even the most established brands. For a company like British American Tabacco (BAT), which is repositioning itself as an enabler of a post-smoking society, it has formed a cornerstone of its IR team’s ongoing evolution.
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‘We were the ugly duckling when I joined, now we’re the focus of attention’: Dirk Winkels of Rheinmetall on how Ukraine changed the conversation
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed how many companies communicated with the market but, for German automotive and arms manufacturer Rheinmetall it completely changed the company’s story. We spoke to the company’s head of IR, Dirk Winkels, to learn a bit more about how far the goalposts have been shifted.
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‘It’s an opportunity to bridge two fast-growing markets’: Lessons from Emsteel Group on engaging Middle Eastern investors
As IROs look beyond traditional financial hubs to diversify their shareholder base, the Middle East represents a new and strategic capital venture. But with sovereign wealth funds, family offices and institutional investors playing an increasingly influential role in international markets, many companies still find the road to meaningful engagement in this region unclear.
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How pre-IPO investor relations shapes long-term market success
The IPO journey doesn’t start on listing day. Companies that treat investor relations as an afterthought until the opening bell often find themselves scrambling to build credibility when it matters most. The statistics tell a sobering story: approximately only one third of newly listed companies outperform their already-listed peers over the long term. Poor financial communication sits at the heart of this underperformance. Building relationships before you need them Establishing an effective IR function well before your IPO creates something money can’t buy on demand: trust. When analysts and investors already know your story, understand your business model and have…
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‘It’s not necessarily about coming up with a brand-new thing’: Janet Craig on what she looks for as an IR Impact Awards judge
As we gear up for the IR Impact Awards in both South East Asia and Greater China, our teams of expert judges have been sifting through the many entries from companies talking about everything from how they have implemented AI into their programs to the memorable investor events they’ve put on for analysts. IR Impact catches up with Janet Craig – herself a multiple IR Impact Award winner and now a judge for our events – to find out what marks an entry out as special.
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‘Profit and purpose have been our yin and yang’: TPXimpact’s Luke Murphy on a first IR Impact award win
When the small-cap UK firm TPXimpact cropped up on the shortlists ahead of the IR Impact Awards – Europe 2025, it was a name unfamiliar to many of the judges – and perhaps many other onlookers. The company, which enables digital transformation projects for a range of organizations, including public sector bodies in the UK, may not be well-known in general, but Luke Murphy, head of IR and chief of staff, was among the names for the rising star award. The company’s annual and ESG reporting were also nominated.
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Building an IR function: a strategic roadmap to success
From getting management buy in to running an IR audit and building an investor pipeline – a break down of the essentials that elevate the IR program Investor relations has come a long way. What used to be a compliance checkbox is now a strategic discipline that directly impacts your cost of capital, liquidity and valuation. The question isn’t whether IR adds value anymore, it’s whether you’re building the function correctly. This evolution changes how you build your team for success – whether you are expanding the IR department, coming in fresh, building out the team from scratch or growing…
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What can you do when the US Government becomes a shareholder in your company?
When the Trump administration announced it would take a 10 percent stake in Intel to securitize the government’s funding of the company under the CHIPS Act, the markets were stunned. Many questioned this new course, asked how effective the government could be at owning stocks and wondered how the administration could help or hinder Intel. Moreover, how would US taxpayers benefit?
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From intuition to impact: How ROI thinking can transform investor relations
Across boardrooms, investment decisions are increasingly driven by rigorous financial analysis and measurable outcomes. While marketing debates attribution models and sales scrutinizes conversion funnels, the IR function, though central to connecting companies and capital markets, often relies on intuition and anecdotal evidence when justifying budgets and strategic initiatives. IR now has the opportunity to adopt the ROI mindset that drives decision-making across the enterprise.
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‘Investors are ready for us to make an impact’: eDreams ODIGEO’s David de la Roz Fernandez on standing out as a small cap
How do you stand out against the market as a small-cap company? For eDreams ODIGEO’s head of IR, David de la Roz Fernandez, it’s about making sure your investor community is as educated as possible so that when you have some crucial news to share, the impact is maximized.
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The summer’s over, it’s back to school time – even for IROs
Welcome back, everybody, to the world of work! Yes, it’s that time of year – for our US readers, Labor Day is over and, for our European friends, the summer holidays are officially done. That can only mean one thing: the pitter-patter of tiny feet as they scamper energetically back to educational establishments heralding the ‘back to school’ season. It’s a good time of year to reflect on your own professional development – as well as making sure your workwear is up to scratch.
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‘I love when investors start a meeting by showing me their streak’: Duolingo’s Debbie Belevan on life after an IPO
At this year’s IR Impact Awards – US 2025, Duolingo’s head of IR Debbie Belevan swept the board, picking up trophies for best overall IR – mid cap, best IRO – mid cap and best in sector – technology. All of this came just a few years after Belevan joined the language learning app in 2021 as its VP, IR two weeks before the company’s IPO. Since then, Duolingo has seen exponential growth in both its share price and subscriber base. Debbie has become an active member of the IR community, serving as a board member for NIRI.
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How does your team approach scenario planning? We want to know!
Another week, another series of macroeconomic developments that are likely keeping IROs around the world on their toes. Whether it’s the latest round of proposed US government tariffs – this time on Japanese goods – or renewed conflict in South East Asia, listed companies will be working quickly to understand the potential impacts on their operations.
