Implement investor relations strategies: Official Tuesday, 24 May 2011 01:27

DOHA: Qatar Exchange (QE) Listing Director, Abdelaziz Al Emadi, has urged listed companies to put in place comprehensive Investor Relations (IR) strategies, including best practice, and actively engage with investors.

He said QE believes that IR is an essential business support function that helps its listed companies attract more investors, enhances credibility, and ultimately facilitates expansion and growth opportunities for its companies.

Good IR is about effective communications between a company and its shareholders, both in good times but just as importantly in bad times, said Al Emadi. “While the communication a listed company undertakes is a mixture of the regulatory and the voluntary IR represents that essential element of listed company life that sees companies interacting with existing shareholders, prospective investors, analysts and the financial community overall.”

The QE and the (MEIRS) held their second IR workshop here yesterday at which 35 QE-listed companies and representatives attended. The topics and aim of the workshop were to boost IR development and practice in Qatar, in light of the increasing growth and significance of QE as an international capital market and the growing importance of regional and international investors to Qatari companies.

MEIRS is an independent not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting excellence for investor relations standards across the region.

In response to the growing demand for Investor Relations guidance the Middle East Investor Relations Society and the Qatar Exchange organised the conference to advise why companies need to have a credible IR department and why this should be seen as a vital business support function.

Speakers including Colin Milton, Deputy Director of Listings, Qatar Exchange; Samer Solh, Managing Director of Asset Management, Amwal; Carson Wolfer, Head of Investor Relations, Qtel and Christiaan de Beer, Group CFO, Al Khaliji, demonstrated how effective investor relations supports listed companies in attracting more investors, enhances credibility and facilitates expansion and growth opportunities.

Board members of the ME-IR Society led panels that discussed the practical and strategic challenges of operating dedicated IR departments and presented tools and solutions for effective investor relations. Panels were drawn from analysts, investors, regulators and fund managers are designed to provide practical advice to achieve best IR practices.

During the event, Peter Gotke, Board Member of ME-IR Society said: “The ME- IR Society fully supports the Qatar Exchange’s objectives and policies. Raising awareness together via the ME-IR Society and the Exchange promotes the significance of IR in good times and bad, implementing best practice and actively engaging with investors.”

| More...