Hong Kong Investor Relations Association Launched its Inaugural IR Awards for Hong Kong - Honouring IR Excellence and Best Practice

Jan 27, 2015 09:00 JST

Source: Hong Kong Investor Relations Association (HKIRA)

Nomination for First-ever Awards Opens for Public Now

HONG KONG, Jan 27, 2015 - (ACN Newswire) - Hong Kong Investor Relations Association (HKIRA) today launched its inaugural Investor Relations (IR) Awards - The IR Awards which focus on recognizing Hong Kong listed company and IR professionals their best practice achievement in investor relations.

Dr. Eva Chan, Founding Chairman of the HKIRA said, "Since our establishment in 2008, HKIRA has been committed to promoting excellence in IR practices and setting world-class IR standards for the companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. As the world's second largest market for initial public offerings and the largest market by market capitalization in Asia (ex-Japan), Hong Kong embraces growing investor interests from all around the world. As such, issuers in Hong Kong have been increasingly aware of the importance of IR to better engage with the global investors."

She continued, "We believe effective communication between issuers and investment community as well as strengthened shareholders communications are key components for enhancing corporate values for listed companies. This will ultimately contribute to a more competitive and vibrant Hong Kong stock market. This inaugural IR awards demonstrate our efforts in raising the awareness of the IR profession and promoting the IR industry standards in Hong Kong."

The Awards will be open to public for nominations which are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange starting from 27 January 2015. Nominated individuals and companies will enter into an online survey, in which domestic and international buy-side and sell-side analysts, and fund managers will be invited to vote on their choices of the awards.

Nominees with the highest votes (weighted) in each award category will become the award winners. They will then enter into the final selection process for the Overall Best IR Awards which will be selected by a judging panel. The panel has been carefully selected, comprising academia, representatives from professional associations and professionals whose expertise cover various perspectives including investment community, compliance and financial reporting,to ensure a fair and balanced evaluation.

In total, there are 19 possible awards honouring IR best practice at individual and company levels, namely Best IR company, Best IR by Chairman/CEO, Best IR by CFO, Best IRO, Best IR Presentation Collaterals, Overall Best IR. These will be further categorised into large cap, mid cap and small cap to cover companies from the largest to the smallest. Best IR Company for an IPO, will recognise the best IR company which was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in year 2014. The awards winners will be announced at a ceremony in Hong Kong in May 2015.

Strategic Public Relations Group is proud to be the Official Public Relations Partner and sponsor for the HKIRA IR Awards. Please find key dates relating to the HKIRA IR Awards with its categories and criteria listed in Appendix.

Diamond Sponsor & Official Public Relations Partner:
Strategic Public Relations Group (SPRG)

Diamond Sponsor:
Ascent Partners / EDICO

Gold Sponsor:
ListcoPRO

IT Supporting Organization:
irasia.com

Supporting Organizations:

CHKLC / CPA / Chartered Secretaries / HKEx / HKVCA / The Hong Kong Institute of Directors / The Hong Kong Polytechnic University / International Association of CFOs and Corporate Treasurers (IACCT) / The Institute of Certified Management Accountants

About HKIRA

Hong Kong Investor Relations Association (HKIRA) is a professional association comprising IR practitioners and corporate executives responsible for communications between corporate management and the investment community. Established in 2008, HKIRA advocates the setting of international standards in IR education, promotes best IR practices and strives to meet the professional development needs of those interested in pursuing the investor relations profession. HKIRA is dedicated to advancing the practice of IR as well as the professional competency and status of our members. To date, HKIRA has more than 300 members and most of them are working for companies primarily listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HKIRA's membership profile covers a wide spectrum of professions from IR, finance, accounting, company secretarial to corporate investment roles. It consists of executives at various stages of their career, including the top executives from the IR professional and also the C-level management of listed companies. For more information about HKIRA, please visit www.hkira.com.

Key Dates-

Nomination period: 27 January-25 February 2015
Online voting period: 3-31 March 2015
Judging Panel for Overall Best IR Awards: April 2015
Award Conference cum Presentation Luncheon: May 2015
* Subject to final changes.

Award Categories-

1. Best IR Company - Large Cap
2. Best IR Company - Mid Cap
3. Best IR Company - Small Cap
4. Best IR by Chairman/CEO- Large Cap
5. Best IR by Chairman/CEO- Mid Cap
6. Best IR by Chairman/CEO - Small Cap
7. Best IR by CFO - Large Cap
8. Best IR by CFO - Mid Cap
9. Best IR by CFO - Small Cap
10. Best IRO - Large Cap
11. Best IRO - Mid Cap
12. Best IRO - Small Cap
13. Best IR Company for an IPO
14. Best IR Presentation Collaterals - Large Cap
15. Best IR Presentation Collaterals - Mid Cap
16. Best IR Presentation Collaterals - Small Cap
17. Overall Best IR - Large Cap
18. Overall Best IR - Mid Cap
19. Overall Best IR - Small Cap

Award Criteria-

1. Best IR Company
- Corporate structure and policies conducive to best practices in IR
- Clear delineation of the role of executive management and their accountability to the board
- High quality, effective composition and structure of the board of directors that enables the board to exercise its duties/ responsibilities independently and effectively while implementing best practices in IR
- Evidence of protecting and advancing rights and interests of all shareholders, including minority shareholders
- Evidence of maintaining good relationships with different stakeholders through various channels and responding to their needs and concerns

2. Best IR by Chairman/CEO
- Strategic vision and leadership in steering the company to embrace market competition, trends and challenges
- Management capability in leading the company to deliver sustainable business performance, creating long-term value for shareholders
- Demonstration of high standards of business ethics and integrity
- Demonstration of achievements in pursuing IR best practices and positioning IR as an essential discipline within the company
- Commitment to pursuing timely, transparent and credible information disclosure as well as accessibility of CEO/Chairman by the investment community

3. Best IR by CFO
- Financial leadership in growing/ expanding the company through effective funding and/or treasury management, achieving the best financial structure, debt maturity profile, investor/ shareholder base, etc., for the company
- Demonstration of high standards of financial integrity
- Commitment to best practices in financial reporting which advances the quality and transparency for the disclosure of financial information
- Effective communication of financials and performance guidance to the investment community
- Good financial, accounting, regulatory and compliance knowledge and professionalism

4. Best IRO (Investor Relations Officer)
- Effective communication of investment proposition in communicating the strategy, business and revenue models, plans and risks to investors
- Fairness and transparency in information disclosure to all kinds of investors, shareholders and the public as a whole
- Responsiveness to investor inquiries during benign and crisis times to enable investors to have well-informed investment decisions
- Consistency of messaging to the investment community and the public as a whole
- Good company and industry knowledge to give investors sufficient information about the company's current performance and future prospects

5. Best IR Company for an IPO
This Award recognizes the best IR company which was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2014.
- Effective communication of investment proposition in communicating the strategy, business and revenue models, plans and risks to the investors
- Effective use of communication channels in raising the awareness of the company and educating investors and the public for the successful launch of the IPO
- Responsiveness to investor inquiries to enable investors to have well-informed investment decisions
- Consistency of messaging to the investment community and the wider public before and after the IPO
- Good company and industry knowledge to give investors sufficient information about the company's current performance and future prospects

6. Best IR Presentation Collaterals
- Effective communication and insight into the company's investment proposition and financial position
- Innovation and reader-friendliness in terms of presentation formats and the medium through which the collaterals are delivered
- Easy accessibility by the investment community and the wider public
- Updated on timely basis to reflect the accuracy and latest financial and/or non-financial information disclosed
- IR presentation collaterals may include but are not limited to annual report, website and power point presentation, which will be considered as a whole for evidence of the above criteria

7. Overall Best IR
- The Judging Panel will select among the winners of all the award categories to honour companies which demonstrate outstanding and all-rounded excellence in the above areas.

Media enquiries:

Strategic Public Relations Group
Keris Leung / Stephanie Liu
Tel: +852 2864 4863 / 2864 4852
Email: keris.leung@sprg.com.hk / stephanie.liu@sprg.com.hk
Website: www.sprg.asia

Source: Hong Kong Investor Relations Association (HKIRA)
Sectors: Daily Finance, Daily News