Bear market necessities

Tackling together the risks and rewards of 2023

Click to read IR Magazine Winter 2022

Economic recession, rising inflation and interest rates, supply-chain disruption, budget cuts, shareholder activism, new regulation compliance, ESG backlash and generationally changing investors, all in the aftermath of a pandemic – the life and times of an IRO are about to get a lot tougher in 2023 but IR Magazine has your back (see The future in focus: IR in 2023).

For starters, we know ESG reporting and engagement will continue to be two big issues for IR in the New Year. With responsibility increasingly falling to IR professionals, we update you on the latest regulatory initiatives on ESG, proxy reporting, diversity on boards and executive committees (see Playing by the (new) rules).

But is the investment pendulum swinging against ESG? We cut through the hype to ask IROs whether anti-woke activism really is a movement or just a moment (see The awakening of anti-woke activism). Does your investor engagement strategy need to change accordingly?

Virtual and hybrid investor days are widely accepted as the new post-pandemic normal – but don’t let your calls get stuck in a digital rut. We ask IR professionals what they do to make their reach and engagement stand out from the crowd when time is money (see Seize the day).

Elsewhere, we discover the rapid professionalization of IR among mega-cap companies, a spate of IPOs and the rise of ESG as an investor theme in the Middle East. And we ask the former president and CEO of NIRI turned CEO of the Risk Management Society about the main cyber-security threats IROs need to be aware of and what counter-measures you can take.

Our 13th annual Global Roadshow Report delves into the who, where, when and why of global corporate roadshow activity. Then we put our findings to IROs and ask how they managed the last few years' disruption and where their investor engagement strategy leads now.

There has been such a buzz of excitement, knowledge sharing and networking from our return to in-person events on both US coasts, the UK and Europe. We share some of the many highlights then look ahead to the coming attractions.

As always, do get in touch with questions, comments or suggestions, and we look forward to meeting you at our IR Magazine events in the New Year!

James Beech
Editor