John Cummings, senior vice president of investor relations, Salesforce
John Cummings is Senior Vice President, Investor Relations for Salesforce where he is responsible for leading the company’s strategic and tactical investor relations efforts. As a member of the global finance team, Mr. Cummings’ manages the company’s relationships with more than 50 sell-side analysts and leading institutional investors globally. He also works closely with the Board of Directors on executive compensation and emerging environmental, social and governance issues.
Mr. Cummings was recognized by Institutional Investor Magazine as the number one ranked IR professional for the software industry in 2018 for the third year in a row. Salesforce was also recognized by IR Magazine as one of the Global Top 50 IR programs in 2017 and the only software company in the global ranking.
Prior to joining Salesforce in 2011, Mr. Cummings was a principal with Aeolus Partners Ltd., a United Kingdom-based renewable energy developer and investor. Prior to Aeolus Partners Ltd., Mr. Cummings held various finance and investor relations positions for a private and public companies including Sybase, Inc., Pets.com, and The PMI Group, Inc. Mr. Cummings began his career with Government Investment Management Corporation, a Washington, DC-based long-short hedge fund where he served as an equity research analyst focusing on emerging markets and financial services.
Mr. Cummings earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and International Relations from UCLA, and dual MBAs from the Haas School of Business and Columbia Business School. He was the founder of the San Francisco Stables Foundation, Inc. and served as the organization’s chairman from 2001 to 2008.
Ben Maiden, editor, IR Magazine
Ben Maiden is the editor of IR Magazine, having joined the company in December 2016. He is based in New York. He had previously been managing editor of Compliance Reporter since January 2007, covering regulatory and compliance issues affecting broker-dealers and asset management firms. Before that, Ben was editor of International Financial Law Review and IFLR’s Americas editor, working in London and New York.
Lee O'Dwyer, team leader for West Coast regional sales, Bloomberg
Drawing from fifteen years of experience in traditional and alternative investments, Lee O’Dwyer helps Bloomberg clients gain maximum leverage of their terminal toward actionable strategies.
Discussing equity fundamental valuations, earnings & idea generation tools, ESG data, and portfolio analysis with top analysts and portfolio managers, O’Dwyer’s experience and communication style lets him calibrate around the varied needs and styles of clients, allowing him to interpret their comments and provide meaningful and useful support.
With diverse clients representing all areas of the financial markets, Lee is able to collaborate as they establish best practices for employing a sustainability lens to security and portfolio analysis. Working closely with product development groups and third parties, O’Dwyer’s goal is to advance ESG integration into investment decisions wherever possible.
Originally from England, O’Dwyer is a member of the CFA® Institute and has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation.
Brian Rice, portfolio Manager, CalSTRS
Brian Rice is a Portfolio Manager in the CalSTRS Corporate Governance Department and has been working in the governance group at CalSTRS for over 14 years. His main areas of focus are integrating sustainability considerations into CalSTRS investment processes and managing the CalSTRS Sustainable Equity Portfolio, an $875 million externally managed public equity strategy that employs fund managers incorporating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into their investment analysis.
Mr. Rice’s sustainability integration duties include analyzing potential ESG related risks and developing and implementing appropriate risk mitigation strategies. He also leads CalSTRS sustainability related engagement efforts and is the staff lead for the CalSTRS Green Initiative Task Force, a multi asset class team charged with identifying, implementing and reporting on environmental investment opportunities and risk management strategies.
Mr. Rice serves on the Advisory Board of the Climate Bonds Initiative and the Strategic Investor Initiative. Mr. Rice received an MBA from the U.C. Davis Graduate School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in Economics-Business from U.C.L.A.
