The fourth Middle East Investor Relations Society Annual Conference and.
Awards Ceremony held in Abu Dhabi under the patronage of His Excellency.
The fourth Middle East Investor Relations Society Annual Conference and Awards Ceremony held in Abu Dhabi under the patronage of His Excellency Nasser Al Sowaidi
Conference held under the patronage of His Excellency Nasser Ahmed Khalifa Al Sowaidi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) Largest Investor Relations Conference ever hosted in the Middle East Winners of the Annual IR Awards announced - as voted for in the Thomson Reuters Extel survey Regional Society ‘Code of Best Practice’ launched
Abu Dhabi, UAE, 29th November: The 4th Middle East Investor Relations Society (ME-IR Society) Annual Awards Conference took place today at the Park Hyatt Hotel on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi under the patronage of HE Nasser Al Sowaidi, Chairman of ADX, Department of Economic Development (DED) and National Bank of Abu Dhabi. The event brought together listed and unlisted firms, family offices, investors, analysts, advisors, participants of the buy and sell side communities and exchanges. Senior level delegates attended from the Society’s different chapters including Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and London. Mr Saif Al Mansouri, Head of the Listed Companies department at the ADX and Head of the Abu Dhabi Chapter of the ME-IR Society commented: “We are delighted to be hosting the largest IR event in the Middle East and proud to offer our support in promoting IR best practice in the region. ADX is fully committed to encouraging our listed companies to work towards the adoption of international standards of practice and to supporting the ME-IR Society which has grown to become a valuable guiding resource for regional companies in this development.” The morning conference consisted of speeches from Rashed Al Baloushi, CEO of ADX, Paul Reynolds of Rothschild and Chairman of ME-IR Society, Simon Williams, Chief Economist HSBC Middle East Ltd, Giyas Gokkent, Chief Economist, NBAD, followed by three interactive and thought provoking panel discussions with expert panelists such as Dr. Ryan Leymand from SCA and Jaap Meijer of Arqaam Capital. Paul Reynolds, Chairman of ME-IR Society said: “The message from both local and international investors is simple: effective investor relations increases the value of a firm and investors discriminate in favour of those who show that they understand this. This is why the region’s great companies invest in their IR functions, why they win the wars for talent and capital, and why they win
awards that recognise not only their IR excellence but also their contribution to enhancing the reputation of the Middle East.” During the event a Society ‘Code of Best Practice’ was also launched. The new code reflects current best practices and aims to provide investor relations professionals with a suggested structure which can be implemented by companies seeking guidance on creating an investor relations function. The code was prepared by investor relations executives with extensive experience of working in the Middle East region, and was signed by Society Board Members during the conference. The afternoon Awards ceremony, presented by Richard Banks, Director of Euromoney Conferences and Brandy Scott, Presenter of Dubai Eye, revealed which Middle East companies had adopted the highest standards of IR. The winners were voted for by 293 individuals from 137 buy-side and sellside organisations in the Middle East, the US, UK and Continental Europe in an independent IR survey by Thomson Reuters’ Extel. The Extel Middle East survey has been in existence since 2008 and has continuously tracked the highest IR performers in the region. Alex Menage, co-founder of the ME-IR Society and Head of Business Development and Corporate Services for Rapidly Developing Economies at Thomson Reuters commented on the awards: “This is the largest IR survey in the Middle East region. Over the years, the IR survey has grown in terms of the quality and quantity of respondents and has demonstrated the growing importance of investor relations for Middle East companies, who in turn are responding to international investor requirements on transparency and disclosure. As a founder of the ME-IR Society, Thomson Reuters is proud once again to drive the development of ME capital markets through this initiative.” The winners of the 2012 IR awards are; Best Investor Relations by CFO in the Middle East - Karim Karoui, First Gulf Bank Best Investor Relations Website for the Middle East - Emirates NBD Best Investor Relations Team for Corporate Governance in the Middle East - Qtel Best Investor Relations Team for Crisis Communication in the Middle East - Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) Best Investor Relations Team for Corporate Access in the Middle East - DP World Best Company for Investor Relations for Bahrain - Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) Best Company for Investor Relations for Saudi Arabia - Almarai Best Company for Investor Relations for Egypt - Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) Best Company for Investor Relations for Kuwait- National Bank of Kuwait (NBK)
Best Company for Investor Relations for Oman - Bank Muscat Best Company for Investor Relations for Palestine - Bank of Palestine Best Company for Investor Relations for Qatar - Qtel Best Company for Investor Relations for the Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan) - Bank Audi Best Company for Investor Relations for the UAE - DP World The ‘Grand Prix’ of the Awards, for the Best Company for Investor Relations in the Middle East went to DP World This year the Society also introduced three internal awards. IR Award for the Certified Investor Relations Officer (CIRO) student of the year – Saif Altimen, Zain Iraq IR Award for Best Outstanding IR Contribution of the Year – Qatar Exchange IR Innovation Award - Fida Musleh Azar, PEX
The Executive Team of the society gave special thanks and recognition to Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, HSBC, Arqaam Capital, Etisalat, Thomson Reuters, BNY Mellon, EFG Hermes, ADCB, Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered, First Gulf Bank, J.P Morgan, Latham and Watkins, PWC and M:Communications. The London Chapter of the ME-IR Society and Merchant Cantos we also thanked for their ‘IR in the Middle East’ video shown at the event. ENDS ABOUT THE ME-IR SOCIETY The Middle East Investor Relations Society, established in 2008, is an independent, not-for-profit organization with membership open to all IR, financial communications, and capital markets professionals throughout the Middle East region. The ME-IR Society is a platform for the sharing of best IR practices between IR professionals who are focused on providing clear, consistent and timely information to the regional and international investment community. The Society’s objectives are to promote excellence in investor relations through executive training, professional qualifications, seminars and network events, working in partnership with stock exchanges, regulatory bodies and market professionals in the region.
For more information relating to events, membership, education, training or sponsorship opportunities please contact: Maria Hunt General Manager – ME-IR Society
[email protected] 00971-50-9847350 All information is also published on www.me-irsociety.com Release produced and distributed by M: Communications, official media partner of the ME-IR Society.
