As I recently renewed my CIRI membership I was reminded of the old AMEX slogan extolling the fact that “membership has its privileges.”

The value of membership in CIRI has never been more apparent, given the calendar of social and professional development events, and the educational and advocacy efforts undertaken on behalf of members over the past year. CIRI hosted 40 professional developments activities, issued four comment papers and six IR Backgrounders and updated the Guide to Developing an IR Program. I was particularly pleased to see CIRI’s participation in advocacy efforts related to two issues: equal access to SEDAR Filings (post the submission process, all market participants gained equal access to company filings on SEDAR as of April 16); and a reduced early warning threshold.

In addition to all of this activity there were the issues of IR leader, IR focus and wIRed, which provided ongoing commentary on current issues and challenges relevant to IR practitioners. I would be remiss if I did not also mention the highly regarded certification program, providing members with the CPIR designation following a rigorous one-year, part-time program held in association with the Richard Ivey School at Western University.

Given the numerous benefits, membership in CIRI truly does have its privileges and I encourage you to renew soon. In fact, I encourage you to do more than simply renew your membership – the success of CIRI is driven by the willingness of our members to volunteer their time and expertise. The level of IR expertise among CIRI’s members is world-class; please consider volunteering for one of the many roles required at the National and Chapter levels.

Finally, as 2013 draws to a close, let me take this opportunity to thank you for your support of CIRI over the past year and to wish each of you a safe and happy holiday season and a prosperous 2014.