In the wake of the pandemic, market upheavals, SEC regulatory actions, increasing activism, inflation and more, investor relations is emerging as a strategic resource to help companies deal with emerging market trends. BY AL RICKARD, CAE


Let’s review the events of the past three years.


First there was a pandemic, throwing the economy and the stock market into a tailspin.


Everything was virtual for months. Slowly, hybrid meetings and events emerged.


Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was hard at work undoing, proposing, and finalizing a range of rules. Sell-side analysts and their research continued to grow more scarce. Te supply chain went haywire, affecting almost every industry.


Activists continued to press companies with new slates of directors and shareholder proposals, especially about environmental, social and gover- nance (ESG) issues.


Reporting ESG metrics and tracking ESG ratings continued to grow more complex.


Inflation skyrocketed, along with interest rates.


What did all this mean for the practice of investor relations? We asked a range of investor relations officers (IROs) and IR advisors. Te short answer: It’s harder.


Te long answer: Investor relations is now more strategic and IROs are more sophisticated. More proactive outreach to the buy side is now required. Virtual and hybrid meetings have changed investor communications and increased access to management.


Some good news: IR salaries and budgets are increasing for many companies. ni ri .org/ irupdate IR UPDAT E ■ WI N T E R 2 0 2 3 1 3


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