Where We've Been; Where We're Going

Where We've Been

Over the last year we have delivered the benefits that members are accustomed to receiving. Here are the highlights:

• We continued to advocate for a reduced early warning reporting threshold of 5%, down from 10%.
• We issued five comment papers on:
  • Early Warning Reporting Threshold;
  • <IR> Framework;
  • Women on Boards (twice); and
  • Proxy Voting Infrastructure.
• We issued four IR Backgrounders/IR Briefs on:
  • Advance Notice By-laws (twice);
  • Say-on-Pay; and
  • Proposed Governance and Disclosure Rules for Venture Issuers.
• We delivered 48 professional development events, many of which were also available via webcast.
• We recognized 20 new Certified Professionals in Investor Relations (CPIRs).
• We released CIRI’s updated Guide to Developing an IR Program.

We also undertook another very important initiative with respect to the new Not-for-Profit Corporations Act that comes into effect in October 2014. In order to comply, we needed to review and revise our By-laws. We saw this as an opportunity to improve our governance practices, an approach that we advocate for in the capital markets. At the June Annual Meeting, we will seek your approval on these new and improved By-laws.

Where We’re Going

In the first issue of IR leader for 2014, I provided some highlights from the Member Needs Survey. I discussed new benefits that our members would like to see CIRI offer: an IR resource library, IR best practices research and free member webinars.

We got to work right away on these initiatives. Now that we are well into the year, I will outline our progress.

IR Resource Library
The resource library will contain IR-relevant documents ranging from strategic plans to investor day checklists. Members will have access to these resources to assist in the development of strategies and processes.

We are populating the IR resource library and asking our members to contribute documents that would benefit their peers. Launch of this resource will take place in the summer of 2014.

IR Best Practices Research
Based on member feedback, we have selected governance practices as the topic of our first research paper. During the summer, we will develop and circulate a questionnaire so that we can identify best practices and trends in governance. The results will be compiled in a summary report and will be discussed at a CIRI event in the fall. Thanks to RR Donnelley for sponsoring this research.

Free Member Webinar
Our first free members-only webinar will take place in July 2014 and will deal with Trading Dynamics.

We have a busy few months ahead of us as we build even more member value. Enjoy the summer and the new benefits CIRI has to offer!