The investor relations officer: Perspectives on a changing role

Our interviews with 20 investor relations officers from leading UK companies in the FTSE 100 showed that, while businesses approach investor relations with different levels of expectation and sophistication, there are several common issues that emerge:

• The growing importance of investor relations means that the most effective IROs prefer to operate within clear line of sight of the main board.
• Technical demands and governance issues have been a concern, but after the initial preoccupation over IFRS/SOX there has been a change of perspective for IROs, who are now more focused on strategy, new markets and competitive pressures.
• The change of focus for many investor relations officers can be summed up as “driving value”. What opportunities does that present to CEOs and CFOs?
• The IRO’s role in managing the share register is a contentious issue, giving rise to a diverse set of views.
• The emergence of the specialist investor relations professional has forced executive teams to reconsider the profile of their next IRO.