Just as the world emerged at differing speeds from the pandemic, we were confronted by economic recession, rising inflation and interest rates, supply-chain disruption, war in Europe and ‘climate change’ becoming ‘climate crisis’. These concerns are reflected among the articles hard-working IROs most wanted to read on IRmagazine.com, from Russia’s reclassification and cyber-risk to ESG ratings and greenwashing, plus much more. Stay with IR Magazine in 2023 as we guide you through stormy seas to safe IR harbors!
The most-viewed articles of 2022
1. ESG scores must consider more than risk, says S&P Global CEO
‘An ESG score does not support the basic principles of ESG investing if it considers risk alone.’ That is the message from Doug Peterson, president and CEO of S&P Global, a leading provider of ESG company ratings.
2. IPOs that don’t meet ESG standards can expect a discount, says consultant
Companies planning to list need to implement a robust ESG strategy or they will receive a discount on their valuation, according to one of Europe’s top IPO consultants.
3. Unilever, Nestlé and NatWest named top for website ESG communications
New research has assessed 1,000 IR and corporate communications websites to produce a top 100 list of the firms offering the best publicly available ESG information.
4. MSCI Russia reclassification to stand-alone market comes into force
Russia has been reclassified by MSCI from emerging markets status to stand-alone markets status.
5. CEOs name cyber-risk as top threat in 2022, according to PwC survey
CEOs view cyber-attacks as the biggest threat to companies over the next 12 months, according to new research from PwC.
6. Four common signs of greenwashing
Global ESG assets are on track to exceed $53 tn by 2025, representing more than a third of the $140.5 tn in projected total assets under management.
7. ‘I try to stay away from hybrid in the same meeting,’ says Cowen’s head of corporate access
Even as markets began to cautiously open up, with more companies starting face-to-face meetings again, research showed that hybrid was still seen as the long-term solution for corporate access.
8. Inside the world of ESG ratings: Academic paper looks at multiple issues with process and outcomes
‘Recently, ESG ratings providers have come under scrutiny over concerns about the reliability of their assessments,’ write Stanford University academics David Larcker and Brian Tayan in a paper written with Edward Watts of the Yale School of Management and Lukasz Pomorski of AQR Capital Management.
9. The critical role of boards in addressing ESG issues
Boards across nearly every industry around the globe face mounting pressure to be proactive on ESG issues. Yet many companies’ board and executive leaders remain uncertain on how best to approach such issues, or report on their progress to stakeholders.
10. Case study: Camilla Bartosiewicz of Altus Group talks targeting
‘When I joined Altus Group, the first thing I did was set up my tech platform,’ says Camilla Bartosiewicz, vice president of IR at the real estate software provider. ‘I felt like I was flying blind without it.’
