‘I had to manage two profit warnings and crisis communications’: quick-fire Q&A with the editorial board’s David de la Roz Fernandez

IR Magazine is proud to introduce its new editorial board. It is made up of 12 seasoned investor relations professionals from across the world, each working at companies in different sectors and of varying cap sizes, but with one thing in common: a passion for pursuing excellence in the profession.

Over the coming weeks, we will be introducing you to each of our board members, who will be working alongside IR Magazine to advise our editorial team about emerging trends, themes and issues facing the profession around the world. You may also hear from them on the IR Voice podcast or on our videos and you might read their words in our weekly Editor’s Picks newsletter.

This week we hear from multiple IR Magazine Award-winner David de la Roz Fernandez, director of IR at eDreams ODIGEO, the small-cap online travel firm, where his efforts and creativity in the face of small-cap challenges have won him both IR Magazine Awards and nomination

How would you sum up your approach to IR in three words?

Innovation, communication, accuracy.

What’s been the biggest IR challenge of your career?

My IR role at eDreams ODIGEO has been the most challenging and rewarding – at the same time – of my career. I joined post-IPO and right after I joined, I had to manage two profit warnings and crisis communications with one of our suppliers, which led our stock price to drop from €11 ($12) to €2.

We’ve since been through a change of management and a full transformation of our business. We’ve also since met and exceeded all our targets for 10 consecutive years, rebuilding our equity story and our trust with investors, while becoming a global leader in travel subscriptions and one of the best equity performers in Spain and even Europe.  

What would you have done if you hadn’t gone into corporate finance?

I am very analytical, creative and innovative, so most likely would have done something in strategic consulting, corporate development or strategy at a company.

Read more Q&As with members of the IR Magazine editorial board here.