IR Voice - The investor relations podcast

In this episode of IR Voice, we catch up with IR Magazine's head of content Steve Wade and events editor Tim Human to find out about the latest goings-on at our recent events in New York. First, Steve tells us about what was covered at the corporate reporting forum, where the EU's flagship sustainability reporting regulation CSRD was at the forefront of discussions. In the aftermath of Donald Trump's election victory, however, the future of corporate ESG reporting was still somewhat unsure.Then Tim gave us the lowdown from the AI and technology forum held a few weeks later. He tells us about some of the emerging ways that IR teams are using AI, and reveals how some new workshop formats explored some immediate ways that IROs can use the technology in their programs.

In this episode of IR Voice, we talk about the use of finfluencers by IR teams at public companies.IR Magazine reporter Noemi Distefano speaks to Katie Perry, head of marketing at Stakeholder Labs and co-host of the After Earnings podcast; Bill Kaitz, president of Promethean Marketing; Veronika Kuznetsova, advisor at Xploration Capital and former director of IR at Russian company MMK; and Eugeniu Baltag, director of IR at Purcari Wineries. Guests share insights on the way companies are using finfluencers and other innovations to engage with their retail investor audiences.Kuznetsova and Baltag share how their companies have successfully integrated influencers into their IR strategies, emphasizing the importance of transparency and carefully curated content to maintain credibility and align with company messaging.But Kaitz is more skeptical. He talks about why the use of financial influencers is risky in the US and offers practical examples of what exactly can go wrong. He points to the dangers of market manipulation and ‘guilt by association’ – advocating for a safer, alternative, three-step strategy.In this episode you will hear:·       How company executives are directly engaging with retail audiences·       About the regulatory risks of tapping into finfluencers in the US·       Examples of successful partnerships between IR teams and finfluencers·       How to measure the success of using finfluencers to reach your retail investors. 

In the latest episode of IR Voice, we discuss crisis communication best practices.We speak with Gregg Lampf, VP of IR at Ciena, who brings 30 years of experience in managing different crises as part of his role. Among these is the once widespread issue of stock options backdating – a practice that garnered significant attention around 20 years ago. While backdating is now viewed as a controversial and unfavorable practice by investors, Lampf’s experience during that crisis at one of the companies he worked for provided invaluable lessons that continue to inform his career today. In this episode, he explains how options backdating works, shares his firsthand experience and discusses the challenges it presented alongside the solutions needed from an IR perspective to overcome them. In this episode, you will hear:• What stock options backdating is • Key lessons learned from this practice• Best practices for crisis communication• Strategies for rebuilding trust after a crisis.

In this episode of IR Voice – formerly The Ticker podcast – we look back at some of the main interviews from the past six months. In a break from the usual format, this August episode of the show includes excerpts from previously featured interviews with leading IROs, sustainability experts and investors. In this episode you will hear:·      How to get up to speed with the CSRD compliance exercise·      How the buy side uses AI and how IR can adapt·      Top tips for an efficient and effective M&A process·      The role the IR Magazine editorial board plays, as well as who is on it. IR Voice provides listeners with insights into cutting-edge issues of the day for IR professionals. The series features interviews with IR experts bringing a global perspective, actionable insights and commentary on trending topics. These include sustainability, activism, corporate access, regulation and more.

In this episode of IR Voice – formerly The Ticker podcast – we talk to a buy sider about what asset managers look for in corporate events and speak to a leading IRO about how social media can boost a company's investor base.IR Magazine deputy editor Garnet Roach is joined by Stephen Yiu, managing partner and chief investment officer at London-based asset management firm Blue Whale. Yiu offers his perspective on what he and his firm look for in corporate events, talks about specific areas and metrics companies should be focusing more on and, among other things, explains what he looks for from IR professionals around corporate access.Later in the show, Noemi Distefano is joined by Pekka Rouhiainen, vice president of IR at Finnish company Valmet. The firm received two nominations at this year’s IR Magazine Awards – Europe and picked up the trophy for best use of social media and video for IR.Rouhiainen shares his experience on elevating Valmet’s social media IR strategy, including the creation of an Instagram profile dedicated exclusively to investor relations.In this episode you will hear:What the buy side is looking for from corporate eventsAbout some of the bugbears for portfolio managers around investor eventsHow to craft a successful social media strategy for IRThe story of a company that doubled its retail investor base by taking IR to Instagram.

In this episode of IR Voice – formerly The Ticker podcast – we talk about successful tactics behind corporate transactions and discuss the key findings from IR Magazine’s A geopolitics playbook for IROs.In this episode you will hear:·                The story behind the Blackstone stock overhang ·                Top tips to manage intricate corporate transactions ·                Key takeaways from ‘A geopolitics playbook for IROs’ Best practices for IROs on how to navigate geopolitical watersIR Voice provides listeners with insights into cutting-edge issues of the day for IR professionals. The series features interviews with IR experts bringing a global perspective, actionable insights and commentary on trending topics. These include sustainability, activism, corporate access, regulation and more. This episode of IR Voice is brought to you in partnership with AlphaSense. To start your AlphaSense free trial today, please click here.