AT THE BELL
The More Things Change… W
Katie Royce, CFA NIRI Chair
Chief Financial Officer ZenBusiness
hen I sat down to write my column for this issue ofIR Update, I scanned the titles of the key articles as I typically do and was delighted to see three new columns debuting in this issue. One column is “Spotlight on the CEO,” where we interview a leading public company
CEO, including asking for their views on the importance of investor relations. Mark Clouse, President and CEO of Campbell Soup Company is the first to be interviewed. See the column on page 6. Another column is “Q&A With NIRI Members,” designed to highlight member answers to a question we pose on the NIRI eGroups discussion forum. For this issue we asked, “What’s the most creative loca- tion your company used or activity you have done at an Investor Day?” David Calusdian, President of Sharon Merrill Associates, Inc., gave a great answer. Check it out on page 44. But the new column that really caught my eye was “Past is Prologue,” which pulls some content from old issues of IR Update to discuss the similarities and differences facing the profession today. So I decided to challenge myself and see if I could guess what was covered in the January 2002 issue
of IR Update before sneaking a peek. While 2002 was before I started my career in IR, I knew that in the months following the horrific attacks of 9/11 the uncertain economy, decline of technology stocks, and the undetermined future of many recently formed public companies were likely to be featured in the issue. And yes, those themes permeated (and are not dissimilar to many discussions IROs are having today) but the similarities didn’t stop there. It was in an article about gaining visibility for small caps that a quote from longtime IRO and NIRI Fellow Tabitha Zane stood out: “Go after retail investors.” Clearly this topic not only resonates today but is amplified exponentially. See the article, “Look in the Mirror: You’ll See a Retail Investor,” on page 18 to learn more about the profile of today’s retail investors. Te role of investor relations has certainly evolved during the past 20 years and become much more
multifaceted, but I found through reading that old issue of IR Update that despite all that change, the core tenets of what makes a great IR program remain. I hope you enjoy reflecting on that past issue as I did! See the column on page 42. Te NIRI staff along with all the volunteers who comprise the Annual Conference Committee are hard
at work putting the finishing touches on the upcoming 2023 NIRI Annual Conference in Chicago, June 6-8. Te agenda is packed with both educational content and networking opportunities. In addition to the
in-person networking, I’m looking forward to the closing general session, “Creating Systematic Change – Being the Change You Wish to See in the World.” What an inspiring and motivating way to end three jam-packed days in the Windy City! If you haven’t registered, be sure to read the article, “Connect With the Community at the 2023 NIRI Annual Conference,” on page 36. Hope to see you in June! IR
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niri.org/ irupdate
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