I recently had the pleasure of attending the Annual IR Magazine Awards Dinner in Toronto, where the very best of Canadian IR professionals were recognized. On behalf of the CIRI National Board I congratulate all of the nominees and Award winners.

The recognition of excellence in the IR profession is particularly important as the capital markets face ever-increasing scrutiny from all stakeholders and the public becomes increasingly cynical regarding both corporate and government institutions. The practices deployed by the best of our profession are therefore to be recognized and emulated, as they lend badly needed credibility to the messages communicated to the marketplace. A story well told is usually a story well received and the messenger is often as important as the message.

Excellence in IR is at the core of CIRI’s vision, which is to be recognized as the Canadian IR authority, standard setter, and resource. Through its educational, advocacy and publication efforts CIRI continues to deliver on this vision, assisting its members to perform their IR functions at the highest level. Beyond these important mandates, CIRI provides extensive networking opportunities for both IR practitioners and service providers. After all, who else is more empathetic than a fellow IR practitioner who may have faced challenges similar to yours? Or perhaps a service provider has a plausible solution to your challenges. From recent personal experience, I can tell you these relationships alone make membership in CIRI invaluable.

I therefore encourage you to take full advantage of your CIRI membership, whether by volunteering for a leadership role, mentoring a fellow IR practitioner, speaking at an event, or any one of a myriad of possibilities. I suspect you will discover, as I have, that the net benefit of active involvement will be significant.