Investor Relations best-practice to come under the spotlight at the JSE

Apr 29, 2017

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) is the venue partner for the second Business Day Investor Relations & Strategic Communications Conference on 5 May 2017, in association with headline partner Greymatter & Finch, and the Investor Relations Society of South Africa.

Investor relations is an increasingly critical function behind the success of listed companies, and is no longer strictly limited to compliance. It is a discipline and organisational function that ties everything under a single flag, from finance through to marketing and communications, and ensures a company is positioned as favourably as possible to attract investment by ensuring all stakeholders receive regular, well-timed and relevant communication.

Adriana de Roock, Managing Director of Greymatter & Finch says, “Investor Relations is the same as good clothing. It shows who you are and conveys how you relate to yourself and others. Perception is everything. When used efficiently, effectively and skilfully, IR conveys volumes about your company and ensures that stakeholders can identify your brand and ethos, and tell you apart from your competitors. It is a strategic skill and representation that no company can do without and no company can afford to get wrong.”

Following a successful inaugural conference in 2016, here is the line-up for 2017:

Cathie Lewis (Group Company Secretary, Grindrod Limited), Ed Jardim (Group Investor & Media Executive, Murray & Roberts), Adriana de Roock (Managing Director, Greymatter & Finch) and Nevashnee Naiker (Group Communications & Stakeholder Manager, Tiger Brands) debate whether “the integration of communication is vital as all communication mediums and methodologies should sit under one umbrella;

Chris Hamilton (CEO, BankServAfrica), Shergeran Naidoo (Company Secretary, BankServAfrica), and Nwabisa Piki (former IRO for Telkom SA) discuss the challenges and some solutions for managing stakeholders in difficult times;

Nicola Tyler (Founder & CEO, Business Results Group) will examine the challenges IRO’s face and how they should manage communication, reputation and valuation in an ever-changing environment and how this is impacted by disruptive events;

David Shapiro (Deputy Chairman, Sasfin Securities) will share his insights on stocks: what’s hot and what’s not, and the role of Investor Relations;

Sipho Pityana (Non-executive Director, AngloGold Ashanti) will sit in conversation with esteemed journalist and broadcaster, Jeremy Maggs, in discussing Investor Relations to Save South Africa – the macro environment;