IR Impact Forum & Awards – Greater China

The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong has proposed new rules to increase transparency and corporate governance for listed companies, most notably around the disclosure of dividend policies, an approach that is similar to Shanghai and Shenzhen exchange rules.

These changes, along with less widely supported proposals related to preventing ‘overboarding’ of company directors, seek to enhance corporate governance and align the exchange with international standards. If implemented, they could also lead to an increase in both institutional and retail interest in the region’s companies.

In our opening session, we explore what these structural changes may mean for IR teams and provide advice on how to adapt.

• Hear how to adapt your policies to meet expectations of domestic and international investors
• Understand what disclosures and governance practices may be expected of listed companies
• Discuss how global investor sentiment is changing and the outlook for investment into the region
• Learn what an increase in investor interest would mean for IR teams and how to take advantage of this opportunity

Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor, IR Magazine
Kevin Leung, company secretary and IR director, China Resources Beer
Clara Liu, senior manager of IR, Xtep International Holdings
Jason Paltrowitz, director and executive vice president, OTC Markets Group
Rene Vanguestaine, managing partner, Christensen Advisory

This session is all about ‘putting the ROI back into IRO’. Using exclusive research from IR Magazine’s global survey on time management, we explore how investor relations professionals are spending their day and examine which IR activities provide the biggest benefit to your company and the C-suite.

We will also explore the transformative impact artificial intelligence can have on IR workloads and how to create efficiencies so that IR can be more effective, helping to build credibility with management.

• Benchmark how you organize your days and learn what the most impactful IR activities are
• Gain insight into what activities are most time-consuming and provide the lowest value
• Explore where AI and automation can remove monotonous tasks, saving time for higher-value activities
• Learn how to organize your quarterly activities to improve the positive impact IR has on your company

Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor, IR Magazine
Jessie Jin, chief manager of investor relations and ESG, ATRenew
Melanie Morfill, sales director, APAC, Notified
Suki Wong, senior director, investor relations and ESG, ANTA Sports Products
Rene Vanguestaine, managing partner, Christensen Advisory

IR teams often track their performance by measuring the number of investors that they meet with and it is an important metric. However, companies should not overlook the quality of each meeting, because good quality meetings engage the C-Suite, encourage more investment and provide critical information that can be used to shape strategy.

Whether gaining valuable information, insightful questions that make you test your business strategy, or having a company take a position in your stock. Achieving good quality meetings requires a well thought out targeting strategy, to help identify the investors who will help your company move forward.

This session explores how to be smarter with your targeting practices and identify investors who are most likely to meet with your management and add value to your company.

• Hear case studies about how IR teams are improving their shareholder analysis practices
• Learn what top IR teams are doing to build a pipeline of investor prospects and use management’s time most effectively
• Discover how new technologies can not only make investor targeting easier, but also more effective

Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor, IR Magazine
Doris Chan, head of investor relations, Nameson Holdings
Elaine Wang, senior IR manager, QingCi Games
Fanny Yan, senior manager, IR, Nissin Foods Company

As communication technologies continue to evolve we explore how best to utilize these tools to expand the reach of your IR program and promote better transparency with your shareholders. This session will showcase effective techniques award-winning IROs have implemented to improve their communication using different media channels.

• Understand the latest digital communications trends in the context of investor relations
• Learn how best to use WeChat and other social media to tell your company story
• Understand how best to build your presence in an increasingly digitalized world
• Discuss the how to integrate AI into your digital engagement strategy

Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor, IR Magazine
Nick Huang, IR manager, Hon Hai Precision Industry
Celia Wang, international digital content manager, Ping An Insurance
Nina Zhan, vice president, IR, 361 Degrees International

Investor relations is the interface between markets and management, and IR professionals who focus their efforts on spending time, serving and learning from the investment community can bring a new level of insight and investment into the company. This session explores what an investor-centric IR approach looks like and explores ways to get closer to the investment community through your approach to IR.

• Learn about different philosophies and directions for your investor relations strategy
• Hear how companies are taking an investor-first approach in their IR activities
• Understand ways to gather useful market intelligence from the investor community
• Discover techniques to conduct investor meetings and learn what questions are most beneficial to ask of portfolio managers and analysts

Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor, IR Magazine
Ellen Tseng, senior director, IR and corporate communications, Primax Electronics
Yi Xiang, head of investor relations, Focus Media
Rui Zhang, chief executive officer, Irostors