9.2 IR Officer Job Profile
Communication with investors and analysts calls for very specific knowledge and skills, some of which are very different from those of a good head of communication, for example.
An Investor Relations officer has a complex profile. They must be well versed in the following activities:
- Communication strategist (development of the capital market story, positioning of the company on the capital market)
- Speaker and «marketer» (presentation events, one-on-one meetings) of the company on the capital market
- Analyst (peer group analyses, investor targeting, perception study, interpretation and discussion of analyst reports)
- Advisor to the management and sometimes also to the board of directors in capital market questions
- Writer (preparing annual and interim reports, ad hoc reports, speeches, etc.)
- Presentation organizer (IR presentations)
- Online manager (design and content management of the IR web pages on the Internet, monitoring of online portals, social media)
- Event manager (roadshows, conferences, annual general meeting)
- Constant «translator» and «networker» in the company as well as between the company and target groups
What makes a good IR officer can be derived from the combination of these skills:
- Good knowledge of the company and its markets: thanks as far as possible to their own experience as well as direct access to good sources of information inside and outside the company
- Good knowledge of finance and accounting, of financial analysis and how the capital markets work
- Well versed in interpersonal as well as written communication
- Talent for organization
- In Switzerland: multilingual skills or good command of English
A job description for an IR officer of a medium-sized company will generally include the following points:
- Regular communication with investors and analysts
- Market monitoring: Market performance in relation to the financial environment, questions of reputation, and general trends, reporting to the management
- Benchmarking against peer groups
- Ensuring compliance with all statutory regulations and stock exchange directives
- Management of the IR presentation
- Management of the IR website
- Management of the media releases for financial results
- Updating of the list of contacts for analysts/investors (for meetings) and the distribution list (for distributing press releases)
- Organization of investor roadshows and presentations
- Development or acquisition of new investor groups
- Cooperation with SIX Swiss Exchange and other regulatory authorities
- Measuring and checking success
Specific Projects
- Development and implementation of an IR/communication strategy for issues related to the capital market or finance in close cooperation with the communications team
- Organization of annual/semi-annual results
- Media/analyst/investor conferences (or conference calls/webcasts)
- Drafting and management of annual report/interim reports as well as any special reports (for example on the topic of sustainability) in cooperation with the communications team
- Organization of investor days
Korn Ferry regularly publishes a biennial study on job profiles and salaries of IROs in the US, see ➔ www.niri.org/niri/media/protected-documents/2022-niri_kf-iro-study-results.pdf