News and views

Think and drink: sustainable investor relations feedback

The IR Society, UKSIF (UK Sustainable Investment & Finance Association) and www.sri-connect.com hosted a discussion evening on how to improve communications between investors and companies on sustainability issues.

Attendees: Circa 80 people from companies, investors and service providers in the UK

Discussion tables:

•    Investor audiences, needs, channels & tools
•    Strategic sustainability & engaging the mainstream
•    Corporate governance communications
•    Beyond these borders
•    Popping the hood of IR & how to engage the C-Suite
•    Making SRI roadshows work

A selection of participant feedback:


Smartest things said:

"Smartest thing said: Within corporates, the company secretary deals with the Chairman/NEDs and the IRO deals with CEO/CFO. So, it’s not that IROs are protective of the board, it’s just that they don’t have that much interaction.  The company secretary and IR need to join up more".

"On Governance, NEDs (especially Chairs) should have 'developing relations with their investor communities' written into their job descriptions - if it isn't already there"!

“By the end of January, all companies should have a simple plan that sets out how they will communicate with SRI analysts and portfolio managers over the year ahead”.


Smartest things heard:

"Investors want integrated reporting and not a separate CSR report; on roadshows, they want to see CEO discussing long term strategy rather than dedicated CSR person".

"The most impressive companies are those that discuss SRI issues throughout the P&L’ (from an SRI Fund manager)".

"CR reports designed for a general audience do not work for investors".


Tomorrow's action:

"Meet with the other ‘investor disclosure projects’ and find ways of coordinating and collaborating to make disclosure a more holistic process".

"If any of my corporate clients don’t have a plan for communications with SRI investors for 2012, I’m going to offer to help them write one".

"I will write an email to my sell-side analysts contacts to ask them bring their SRI guy along with them to meetings".