“Director of Investor Relations – to US$140k+bonus+stock
Established public company is seeking a key # 2 IR professional to help support the investor relations and promotion of the company. The company has an established name in the industry and an analyst following. The position is responsible for planning the executive investor outreach programs that effectively communicate key messages regarding financial performance and business strategies to the investment community and to the business/financial press and media community, including the creation of documents for conference calls, meetings, and other communications with shareholders.”
This advert is common in the US where the companies are huge by market capitalisation and have to fight with 14,000 other listed companies for the attention of investors. In African markets just a handful of companies can afford the salaries that a true IR professional demands. Basically an IR person has to be everything to everyone, understand everything and then craft a message to the investment community. A financial Jedi super-man.
So what of the other 1,390 listed companies in Africa that have investors, sometimes many thousands of them? Have a look at the terms of reference above and tell me what parts there cannot be achieved through a corporate website communicating the basics. The fact is that all of the key principles of a good investor relations programme can be scaled to any budget.
Our africansmallcaps.com portal is a good example of the lowest cost solution. Identifying investors, communicating the brand etc. In the USA and other more advanced markets, the Internet is the tool through which IR officers communicate messages. In Africa the Internet is the messenger itself: so long as a few basic rules are adhered to:-
- timely information
- comprehensive information
- to an identified investment community
- reaching out to investors
So is there a solution? Yes there is.