Research
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Rules of engagement: How leading IR Pros are using modern intelligence techniques to identify investors with influence
Investors are becoming more selective in their engagement and less predictable in their voting, driven by a growing focus on company-specific issues, customized voting approaches and the rise of pass-through voting. At the same time, tighter regulations and more sophisticated activist strategies are making direct communication harder, increasing pressure on IR professionals to act earlier and more strategically. This playbook goes beyond ownership data to help identify who truly influences investment and voting decisions, spot early shifts in sentiment and prioritize the investors who matter most, enabling more targeted engagement, better-informed conversations and stronger investor support. Download this playbook to: …
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Playbook: The value of IR in an increasingly passive investment landscape
ETFs, index funds and other ‘passive’ instruments are making up an increasingly large part of the investment universe. But such investors are far from passive in their appetite for engagement from IR teams and are increasingly demanding specialized attention from issuers. Understanding how fund flows are impacting companies – and turning that data into actionable, strategic intelligence – is a key challenge facing IROs in 2026.
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Playbook: Proxy design: Beyond compliance
This playbook explores how modern proxy statements have evolved from compliance documents into strategic shareholder communications. It offers practical guidance on clarity, visual strategy and integrated execution to help organizations strengthen engagement, build trust and elevate governance effectiveness. By elevating both clarity and design, companies signal discipline, transparency and a genuine respect for shareholder time. This approach not only strengthens understanding of governance decisions but also positions the proxy as a meaningful touchpoint that deepens trust and demonstrates communication excellence. In this playbook, written in association with The Nuvo Group, you will learn: The report includes exclusive insights and case…
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Global Roadshow Report 2026
Marking 16 years of IR Impact’s research into global roadshow trends: where companies go, who goes along and the brokers they travel with
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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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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
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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Playbook: Shaping the board of the future
In a world where the rate of change is accelerating, investors are asking sharper questions about board effectiveness, risk oversight and whether directors have the right skills for the future. IR professionals need to know how governance teams are thinking about these issues, where boards may need more support and what investors may expect next. Our new playbook, produced in association with Governance Intelligence and Nasdaq, explores what the board of the future needs to look like. Based on exclusive survey data from governance professionals, plus direct insight from general counsel and company secretaries, the playbook looks at the skills,…
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Governance Playbook: From compliance to confidence: Proxies that win trust and votes
The proxy statement is no longer just a compliance document, but a strategic communication tool that reflects your company’s governance priorities, transparency and responsiveness to stakeholder expectations. The 2025 proxy season introduced a wave of new practice, from evolving ESG and DE&I disclosures to heightened attention on cybersecurity and AI. As investor demands grow more sophisticated, companies must respond with greater clarity, depth and strategic foresight. This playbook offers a comprehensive, actionable framework to help your organization elevate its proxy disclosures. Learn how leading companies are navigating the changing landscape and positioning their proxy statements as both regulatory assets and…
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Playbook: How to conduct impactful scenario plans
Scenario planning allows IR teams to give investors and analysts and indication of how various events (e.g. interest rate changes, a global conflict, a change in political regime) will affect it in the future. It also takes into account how peers and competitors are communicating around these scenarios, too. In making sure you can give your shareholder community a long view on various outcomes, it means they have more confidence in you and your interactions with them. In addition, it allows IROs to have a seat at the strategic table and help their companies plan for the future. S&P’s platform…
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Playbook: How to deliver capital market days that impress investors & analysts
This playbook contains tips and desires shared by investors and analysts – many of them on our IR Impact Award judging panels – on what they want from investor days as well as what turns them off.
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Playbook: How to leverage data to successfully navigate market expectations
A modern IR team needs a solid foundation of real-time analytics to confidently steer their organization through the turbulence of market expectations. High-quality data transforms challenges into opportunities, fostering a culture where every forecast is an informed step toward sustainable growth. This playbook, developed in partnership with Visible Alpha, now a part of S&P Global Market Intelligence, offers a comprehensive guide to mastering this critical aspect of navigating the capital markets.
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Playbook: Maximizing your return on time
In this playbook, written in association with Notified, we look at how IROs divide their time and what tasks they consider most valuable.
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Governance Playbook: Building an effective creation process for your proxy statement
The proxy statement is the cornerstone of a company’s communication with its shareholders and other stakeholders including employees, regulators and customers. In recent years, this vital document has evolved from being a publication designed solely to comply with SEC requirements into something that conveys – often in novel ways – the company’s message and strategy. Now more than ever, companies face deep scrutiny of how they operate and the values they adhere to. Crafting the content and design within proxy statements for success would not be possible without the process involving – at its head – the corporate secretary’s office…
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Global Roadshow Report 2025
IR Impact’s 15th annual research report into the who, where, how and why of corporate roadshow activity.
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How having your stock traded at the weekend can help you access retail investors
In an increasingly competitive market environment, retail investors have emerged as a critical driver of growth for listed companies. But with many of these investors occupied during traditional trading hours, there remains an untapped potential to engage them on their terms—on weekends. Recognizing this opportunity, Cross Trade, led by CEO Larry Bolton, has pioneered a weekend trading platform designed to bridge this gap. In an exclusive interview with IR Magazine, he shares how weekend trading can revolutionize your retail investor targeting approach by creating more touchpoints and amplifying your company’s story to a broader audience. Download it below for free!
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Global Investor Relations Practice Report 2024 – North America
This is the 2024 edition North America of the global practice report, IR Magazine’s annual assessment of how IR teams are operating around the world
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Global Investor Relations Practice Report 2024 – Europe
This is the 2024 edition Europe of the global practice report, IR Magazine’s annual assessment of how IR teams are operating around the world
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Playbook: Streamlining investor relations: A playbook for efficiency and impact
Exclusive data that details where IROs are spending the most time engaging with investors, how they track changes in their investor base and more
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New skills for investor relations
IR skills: unveiling the expertise considered most critical and the key trends that are driving the need for new competencies
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IR Rankings – Euro Top 100 2024
This report looks at the current leading companies and individuals for IR in Europe, as voted for by the European investment community
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Playbook: How to modernize your investor day
Investigate the changing nature of investor days, including a poll of IR professionals to help benchmark your approach
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Playbook: Mastering communications across the earnings cycle
Advice on developing consistent communications across multiple quarters, preparing management for Q&A, and more
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Playbook: A geopolitics playbook for IROs
Comprehensive geopolitics playbook for IROs to help communicate around sensitive and uncertain events
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Playbook: Measuring the success of your shareholder communications
Crucial insights into how leading IR professionals are optimizing their communication strategies to enhance efficacy
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How IR teams interact with the board
How IR teams are engaging with their board and other senior management figures and the channels they use to do so
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IR Rankings – Canada Top 50 2024
This report looks at the current leading companies and individuals for IR in Canada as voted for by the investment community
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IR Rankings – US Top 100 2024
This report looks at the current leading companies and individuals for IR in the US, as voted for by the investment community
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Global IR Salary & Careers Report
How much are IROs paid? Where in the world can heads of IR earn the most money? How balanced is the profession in terms of gender?
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