Irish companies building winning IR strategies
Apr 10, 2008
Dublin, April 10, 2008 – The winners of the IR Magazine Ireland Awards 2008 have been announced, with building and construction-related companies taking home several prizes. According to the Financial Times, CRH completed their 79th acquisition deal in 15 months in March 2008. Clearly they have also been building up their IR efforts despite the general downturn in their sector. They won four of the evening’s awards. Grafton Group, another building-related company, took home three awards, as did Anglo Irish Bank Corporation.
The winners were announced at the annual black-tie awards ceremony, held on Thursday, April 10 at the Four Seasons Hotel, Dublin. A full list of this year’s winners is available below or on our website at www.irmagazineireland.com.
The Guest of Honour at the Awards, Deirdre Somers, Chief Executive of the Irish Stock Exchange described Investor Relations as “the lifeblood of a dynamic market.” She complimented Irish companies for their success in this area and said that the Stock Exchange was committed to support companies in achieving excellence in Investor Relations. She said that the last year had demonstrated how critical the work of IR professionals was – not least to counterbalance conjecture, rumour and perception by providing informed, effective communication on individual companies and on the “Ireland” story as a whole.
Reflecting on the success of Irish companies’ IR activities, Kevin Egan, Assurance Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers said: ‘In today’s capital markets the need for robust communication with investors is more important than ever. Investors need to be presented with a clear and easily accessible picture of both historical and like future performance if they are to properly assess and value a company. It is clear that companies who provide this information to investors put themselves in a much stronger position to attract capital.’
The awards were held in association with PricewaterhouseCoopers, and co-sponsored by Business and Finance, Business Wire, Davy, Hugin and Thomson Financial. The event was also supported by The Irish Stock Exchange.
The awards are based on the results of an independent survey of buy-side analysts, sell-side analysts and portfolio managers from both Ireland and abroad. The complete results of the survey are published in IR magazine’s Investor Perception Study, Ireland 2008.
The IR magazine investor perception studies together make up the world’s largest survey of this kind, canvassing more than 5,000 analysts and investors in more than 14 countries and regions. Survey respondents nominate companies in specific categories and offer their opinions on IR-related topics and trends. For more information on the study, please contact Kate Giblin at the number listed at the bottom of this release.
About Cross Border Ltd and IR magazine
Cross Border Ltd is the publisher in New York and London of IR magazine, the only global publication focused on the interface between companies and their investors. IR magazine hosts annual awards ceremonies in the US, the UK, continental Europe, Canada, the Nordic region, Asia, Brazil and Ireland, with a combined annual attendance of nearly 8,000 investor relations professionals. Visit www.thecrossbordergroup.com for more information.
About PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com/ie) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services for public and private clients. More than 146,000 people in 150 countries connect their thinking, experience and solutions to build public trust and enhance value for clients and their stakeholders. PricewaterhouseCoopers refers to the member firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity.
PricewaterhouseCoopers is proud to achieve first place in the Best Companies to Work for in Ireland 2008.
IR MAGAZINE IRELAND AWARDS 2008 WINNERS
Grand prix for best overall investor relations - large-cap companies
Anglo Irish Bank Corporation
Grand prix for best overall investor relations – small and mid-cap companies
Grafton Group
Best use of the internet for investor relations
CRH
Best corporate literature
CRH
Best investor meetings and roadshows - large-cap companies
Anglo Irish Bank Corporation
Best investor meetings and roadshows – small and mid-cap companies
Cpl Resources
Grafton Group
Best corporate governance
CRH
Most progress in investor relations
IFG Group
Best investor relations by an IEX company
Cpl Resources
Best investor relations officer
Geraldine Deighan & Louise Hendrick – Bank of Ireland
Eimear O’Flynn – CRH
Best investor relations by a CEO/CFO - large-cap companies
Matt Moran (CFO) – Anglo Irish Bank Corporation
Best investor relations by a CEO/CFO – small and mid-cap companies
Colm O’Nuallain (CFO) – Grafton Group