Allianz was the big winner at this year’s IR Magazine Awards – Europe, which, in true 2020 event style, took place in your living room.
The German financial services giant won three trophies: the coveted awards for best overall investor relations and best investor relations officer for Oliver Schmidt (both in the large-cap category), and the best IR in the financials sector award.
The company’s three wins helped German firms lead the pack in Europe, with wins in 10 categories across both the researched awards and the awards by nomination.
Irish firm UDG Healthcare scooped two top awards: best overall investor relations (mid-cap) and best investor relations officer (small to mid-cap) for Keith Byrne – an impressive result for a company winning its first IR Magazine Awards.
The award for best overall investor relations in the small-cap category went to Norway’s Borregaard.
Click here for the full list of winners from the IR Magazine Awards – Europe 2020.
In the awards-by-nomination section, 13 different companies took home 13 trophies. The winners were as follows:
- Best annual report (large cap): LeasePlan, Netherlands
- Best annual report (mid-cap): Admiral Group, UK
- Best annual report (small cap): Implenia, Switzerland
- Best ESG materiality reporting (large cap): Repsol, Spain
- Best ESG materiality reporting (small to mid-cap): Polymetal International, UK
- Best investor event (large cap): Unilever, UK
- Best investor event (small to mid-cap): Severn Trent Water, UK
- Best IR during a corporate transaction: Alcon, Switzerland
- Best IR website (large cap): Royal Philips, Netherlands
- Best IR website (mid-cap): HUGO BOSS, Germany
- Best IR website (small cap): NORMA Group, Germany
- Best use of multimedia for IR: Banco Santander, Spain
- Rising star: Daniel Lozano Herrera from Grenergy Renovables, Spain
The winners of the researched categories are identified via a survey of hundreds of analysts and investors, conducted by an independent third party. This is how the winners and nominees of the best-in-sector awards, as well as the best investor relations officer and best overall investor relations categories are chosen. Download the Investor Perception Study – Europe 2020 for more information on the research and what the investment community thinks about the winners and nominees of these awards.
The awards-by-nomination categories were introduced three years ago and allow companies to nominate themselves or be nominated by a third party. The nominees and short-listed companies are then selected by an 11-strong independent judging panel. This year the panel comprises:
- Mike Allen, head of research, Zeus Capital
- Rosanna Burcheri, portfolio manager, Artemis Investment Management
- Heinrich Ey, co-CIO for European small caps, Allianz Global Investors
- Simon Gleadhill, corporate reporting and IFRS controller, Howden Joinery Group
- Gunhild Grieve, head of controlling and risk management, RWE
- Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
- Karl Mahler, head of investor relations, Roche
- Robert Rethy, head of investor relations, MOL Group
- Madeleine Szeluch, head of investor relations, UK Government
- Harry Stokes, head of investor relations, SEGRO
- Gervais Williams, head of equities, Premier Miton Investors.
Garnet Roach
An award-winning journalist, Garnet Roach joined IR Magazine in October 2012, working on both the editorial and research sides of the publication. Prior to entering the world of investor relations, her freelance career covered a broad range of...
