CIRI BC Chapter Update

The BC Chapter held its inaugural Mentorship Breakfast in February and was delighted to have John Wheeler, (retired) Vice President, Investor Relations, TELUS Corporation, as our guest, with Meghan Brown, Director, Investor Relations, Endeavour Silver Corp., as moderator.

Until his recent retirement, John spent 22 years with TELUS Corporation and experienced just about everything an IRO can: an IPO; a major merger; acquisitions; CEO and CFO transitions; proxy battles; plus the day to day running of an expansive IR program.

While many important messages were shared that morning, one really stood out. As we all know, investor relations is not black and white. IROs have a complex role requiring knowledge of a wide variety of areas including communications, media relations and financial reporting, in addition to understanding and staying current with disclosure policies and best practices. John’s advice was to really understand your own skill set; perform a critical evaluation to understand where your strengths and weaknesses are as an investor relations professional. Be honest in your evaluation and then surround yourself with a strong team or network that can assist you in areas that are not your particular strength.

Feedback from the event was very positive and we look forward to starting the Mentorship Program in the fall of 2014. If you are interested in the program as either a mentor or a protégé, please contact Lisa May at lmay@bearcreekmining.com.

 

CIRI Alberta Chapter Update

CIRI Alberta will soon open nominations for its 2014-2015 Board of Directors. We're looking for people with fresh ideas and new insights who are eager to help the Board build upon its work to advance the organization as a vibrant and relevant association serving the needs of its members. An email will be forwarded in early April, so please consider nominating yourself or a colleague!

In addition, all members are asked to ‘save the date’ for the upcoming CIRI Alberta seminars: 

• April 16 – Attracting and Maintaining a Retail Shareholder Base 
• May 21 – Roundtable – What’s On Your Mind? (in conjunction with the Chapter AGM)

As usual, we encourage members to contact Alberta Chapter Board members with ideas for programs or interest in getting involved.

CIRI Ontario Chapter Update

CIRI Ontario’s March event, IR and Social Media: Thoughts, Trends and Tools, featured a panel of social media aficionados: Pierre Soulard, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright; Tom Liston, Managing Partner, Difference Capital Finance Inc., and Sonja Galton, Web and Communications Specialist, Agnico Eagle Mines Limited. They debated the pros and cons of social media use by public companies.

The third Mentorship Breakfast of the 2013-2014 season was held on April 4. Janet Craig, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations, Loblaw Companies Limited, shared her insights, experiences and tips on how she successfully navigated her way to a senior leadership role in IR.

There are so many truly accomplished IR stars in Ontario. That’s why the Chapter will recognize someone with the Professional of the Year Award! Online voting will take place from April 7 to May 9. The award will be presented at the CIRI Ontario AGM on May 27. For more information about the Award, visit http://www.ciri.org/AboutCIRI/CIRIOverview/CIRIOntarioProfessionaloftheYearAward.aspx.

CIRI Ontario is offering an April 29 session on Messaging and Managing a Leadership Change. Hear veterans share their experience regarding how the IRO can help the management team and Board of Directors prepare for a leadership change, as well as the value an IRO can bring to the process.

For more details on CIRI Ontario events,  visit ciri.org/education/events/calendar.aspx.  

CIRI Quebec Chapter Update

The Quebec Chapter’s February 2014 event was a sold-out success. 

Entitled SNC-Lavalin’s Commitment to Ethics Excellence and Its Impact on Investor Relations Activities, the event was attended by over 60 people, who were treated to an honest and forthright presentation by SNC-Lavalin’s new Chief Compliance Officer, Andreas Pohlmann. He spoke about new programs in place to ensure transparency and inspire investor confidence.

Pohlmann was introduced by Denis Jasmin, Vice-President of Investor Relations at SNC-Lavalin, who touched on a number of issues the international company was addressing. The event was very highly rated by participants.

The next Chapter session will be held on April 24, when two executives from Bombardier Recreational Products – José Boisjoli, President and CEO, and Claude Ferland, CFO – will share insights into their IPO experience and the challenges, obstacles and success of running a public company. Joining them will be Marie-Claude Morin, journalist from Les Affaires, who will facilitate a discussion.