IR Impact Think Tank – Europe

Tariffs, conflict, inflation, energy prices and AI are disrupting business and making markets harder to predict and increasingly volatile. That’s why we begin our conference by sharing an economist’s view on the issues most likely to shape markets over the next 12 months.

Bank of America Global Research’s senior Europe economist, Chiara Angeloni, will present analysis of the key factors that are likely to affect company performance, investor sentiment, valuations and fund flows over the coming months. This provides the foresight and knowledge needed to craft your story around the scale and impact of macroeconomic factors.

• See how economic factors such as tariffs, inflation and energy costs are likely to affect companies, valuations and investor sentiment
• Hear the extent to which these factors are likely to affect different sectors and geographies
• Understand which signals the buy-side are likely to focus on when making investment decisions

Chiara Angeloni, senior Europe economist and director, BofA global research

As analysts re-examine the equity story in relation to news‑driven issues, investor conversations naturally skew short term. The challenge for IR teams is to add context that helps investors distinguish between short-term disruption and the long-term drivers of the business.

IR teams need to decide what to disclose. This includes whether to provide forward guidance in an increasingly complex environment, whether withholding a metric could create an information vacuum that investors fill with assumptions, and whether disclosure could be misinterpreted or create a competitive disadvantage.

• Learn effective ways to move conversations from short-term concerns to long-term value
• Understand how IR teams should approach guidance amid an uncertain outlook
• Debate disclosures: how to meet transparency demand while maintaining credibility

Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor, IR Impact
Richard Manning, head of investor relations, International Workplace Group
Vadim Tsipenyuk, portfolio manager, European media and consumer, Citadel International Equities

Global capital is moving back toward European and UK equities as US investors look to diversify beyond domestic markets. Retail investor participation in UK and European equities is also increasing. However, fewer active investors and barriers related to size and liquidity make it more difficult to attract international investment.

An increasingly international shareholder base can improve valuation, reduce volatility and provide alternative views on company strategy, yet it also comes with unique challenges related to visibility, regulatory scope and workload.

This session will showcase practical ways IR teams can expand their shareholder register without significantly increasing workload or sacrificing the quality of current engagement programs.

• Learn about the targeting opportunities available to IR teams in the current market
• Understand how to use trading data to identify overlooked pools of capital
• Hear practical ways to reach international investors without adding complexity and workload to targeting efforts
• Hear proven ways IR teams have increased their investor base beyond traditional sector peers

Moderator: Steven Wade, head of content, IR Impact
Jonathan Dickson, vice president, head of EMEA, international corporate services, OTC Markets
Claire Mogford, head of investor relations, SEGRO

Do demands of earnings, investor inquiries, AGM season, reporting and expanding IR responsibilities hinder progress in your IR program? Do you feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information that you are expected to filter through and interpret? Well, you’re not alone. Despite technological improvements, time pressure, rising expectations for responsiveness and information overload remain common challenges for IROs.

IR Impact data shows that IR team resourcing is changing: European IR budgets have declined year‑on‑year, a higher proportion of the budget is spent on external services, and despite general growth of IR teams, many IROs still single-handedly run the IR function.

In this interactive roundtable, join senior IR professionals to explore how to reduce reactive work and create capacity for higher‑value activity amid changing expectations and resourcing of IR teams.

• Clarify which IR activities create real value and which can be deprioritized
• Share views on how best to overcome the increasing volume of information that IR teams must manage
• Get firsthand advice on balancing resources and responsibilities
• Debate how budget, team members and time can be used most effectively

Most IR teams are using AI in some form, but levels of adoption vary significantly and the gap between those using AI occasionally for basic tasks and those who are implementing it strategically is vast.

This session will showcase IR leaders who are ahead of the game and will share, not just what they have done and how they did it, but some of the experiments that weren’t as successful, so that you can learn from what didn’t work.

• See real AI use cases to identify practical applications for your team
• Understand how advanced teams are building and using AI tools
• Learn what has failed to avoid common pitfalls
• Apply proven approaches to improve efficiency and output quality

Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor, IR Impact
Lauren Swales, director of investor relations, AstraZeneca

While there is broad awareness of how investors use AI to interpret company communications, a less examined impact is how AI is reshaping equity research and the distribution of information about issuers.

IR leaders cite examples of research being written by LLMs with little or no company engagement or inaccurate AI‑generated earnings content appearing on investment platforms — important issues given the potential share‑price impacts.

This session explores how AI is changing equity research today, how it is likely to evolve, and what IR teams can do to mitigate emerging risks.

• Hear how AI is reshaping equity research: what’s changing, how, and why
• Understand the implications for IR teams — and how to minimize potential negative outcomes
• Gain clarity on sell‑side AI trends and what comes next

Nkem Ojou, head of investor relations at Super Group, a former professional basketball player turned investment professional, Nkem brings over a decade of capital markets experience with a background that spans buyside, sell-side and private equity – gives a brief introduction into what he feels makes a good IRO and how the transfer of skills from being a pro basketball player has helped him with many aspects of the job.

Nkem Ojougboh, head of investor relations, Super Group

Expanding responsibilities, market volatility, a leaner sell-side and AI adoption by both issuers and investors are reshaping IR roles, but how are IR professionals keeping pace?

In practice, skills development must be shaped by individual and company needs, with training planned deliberately to be effective.

This interactive roundtable explores the skills IROs will need over the next three to five years and how to build them proactively.

• Share how you are building AI and IR technology capability, and which resources deliver the most value
• Explore the intangible skills most valued in IROs and how to develop them
• Debate how automation & AI are reshaping learning, and how to mitigate the risks
• Define the future IRO skillset, and learn how to tailor training and experiences to build it

IR sits at the intersection of the market and the business, with a clear view of investor sentiment, expectations and concerns, yet this insight is not always used effectively to influence management and board decision-making.

The challenge lies in gathering meaningful feedback, ensuring it is understood and acted on, and building the access, credibility and internal alignment required for influence.

This session focuses on turning observation into impact and on how market intelligence can be presented to shape decisions.

• Learn how to ensure the board understands how the market is interpreting strategy, performance and risk
• Hear proven ways to structure investor feedback to inform board and management decisions
• Discuss how to balance being a representative of the market with being a trusted internal advisor
• Understand how to strengthen IR credibility and influence at board level

Moderator: Steven Wade, head of content, IR Impact
Joanna Kennedy, vice president of investor relations, Burberry
Phillip Lindsay, vice president of investor relations, Technip Energies

Companies are facing increasing investor scrutiny across capital allocation, governance structures, shareholder rights, executive pay and even environmental and social factors, while raised less frequently in meetings, remain an important assessment lens — particularly for passive investors.

Voting behaviour is becoming less predictable as investors increase in‑house analysis and proxy advisers offer more bespoke voting policies. Engagement dynamics are also shifting, with US led funds playing a larger role in UK and European campaigns, bringing different expectations and more behind the scenes engagement before issues become public.

This session examines how to navigate growing uncertainty around investor voting by deepening understanding of investor behaviour, identifying vulnerabilities that attract scrutiny, and stress‑testing messaging to engage early and build shareholder support.

• Understand the tactics and expectations of international activists to better prepare your response
• Discuss how investor views on special situations and activism should inform engagement strategies
• Understand how to predict investor behaviour more accurately
• Learn how to develop clear, tailored governance messaging for investors

Moderator: Steven Wade, head of content, IR Impact
Maria Siano, general manager, corporate governance data and insights, Broadridge Financial Solutions

This session opens a candid dialogue between investors and issuers, offering direct feedback on how IR teams can strengthen shareholder relationships.

Our panel, consisting of fund managers and analysts with varying fund sizes and investment styles, will answer your questions on market outlooks, how the buy side use AI, their expectations and what effective engagement looks like.

• Have your questions answered honestly by a panel of investors
• Gain first hand insight into the opportunities & risks that fund managers and analysts see in the current market
• Understand how the buy-side is using AI to analyse companies
• Understand how engagement preferences differ across investors, and how to adapt your approach accordingly

Moderator: Steven Wade, head of content, IR Impact
Svitlana Gubriy, head of indirect real assets, Aberdeen

Markets and investor priorities are shifting rapidly. At the same time, more analysts and investors are entering the profession, while regulation, market structure, technology and innovation continue to disrupt the status quo in IR.

With so many forces shaping IR, we close the day with a group discussion examining the trends most likely to influence how the role evolves.

Explore questions such as the next major disclosure challenge, how investor expectations may shift, the biggest disruptive force on the horizon and how earnings calls are changing.

We’ll also consider what will separate the most effective IR teams from the rest, and what the function needs to do differently over the next few years.

• Discuss which trends will likely impact investor relations professionals in the future
• Understand how expectations of the IR role are changing
• Identify where the role is expanding and where it should focus
• Anticipate how new pressures will shape day-to-day responsibilities
• Define what to stop, start and prioritize to remain effective

Moderator: Steven Wade, head of content, IR Impact
Richard Taylor, CEO, Lumi Global