Qatar Stock Exchange
QATAR STOCK EXCHANGE AND IRIDIUM ESTABLISH FIRST INVESTOR RELATIONS EXCELLENCE PROGRAM (news with additional features)
Qatar Stock Exchange / Key word(s): Miscellaneous Press Release QATAR STOCK EXCHANGE AND IRIDIUM ESTABLISH FIRST INVESTOR RELATIONS EXCELLENCE PROGRAM DOHA, QATAR – April 30th Qatar Stock Exchange today becomes the region’s first stock exchange to launch a program that rewards excellence in Investor Relations. The program surveys the expert opinion of the domestic and international investment community to identify companies and individuals who display best practice. The program also features a detailed ranking of corporate investor relations websites. Qatar Stock Exchange will host a special event in December 2015 to announce the results. “The companies listed on our exchange are the corporate ambassadors that represent Qatar’s economic, business and financial progress around the world. Their performance is in the public spotlight every day, shaping our country’s image as a financial centre,” stated Rashid Al-Mansoori, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Stock Exchange. “It is the responsibility of every publicly listed company to keep its stakeholders informed with any information that may influence an investment decision. It is therefore critical that Qatar’s listed companies embrace open and transparent communication and take advantage of modern technologies to fulfil fast-growing information needs.” Qatar Stock Exchange has mandated Iridium, an independent Investor Relations advisory firm, to design a fair, transparent and credible framework for the IR Excellence Program, which will crown Qatar’s best company overall for excellence in Investor Relations, the best small-, mid- and large cap companies, the best Chief Financial Officer and best Investor Relations Officer as well as the top three company investor relations websites in the country. “Our mandate as an exchange is to support Qatar’s national economy by providing an exchange platform where investors can trade fairly and efficiently,” said Mr Al-Mansoori. “This responsibility is already being echoed by many listed companies who adopt global standards in transparency and investor relations. We will recognize the efforts of the best companies. We will also use this initiative to encourage other companies to enhance their disclosure practices and level of activity going forward.” The Excellence Program has been benchmarked globally against best practices to ensure a transparent methodology. The methodology and all ranking criteria are made public several months before the survey and ranking starts. This enables companies to review categories and selection criteria, and gives them advance notice to adjust their Investor Relations efforts, especially with regards to their websites. The Program is not available for sponsorship by any listed companies. “Strong Investor Relations are the hallmark of successful capital markets,” commented Oliver Schutzmann, Chief Executive Officer of Iridium. “The Qatar Stock Exchange has placed maximum emphasis on creating a credible Investor Relations Excellence Program to fortify investor confidence in Qatar’s best companies, inspire boardroom conversation on investor relations and set new benchmarks in the region. We are confident that this important initiative will lead to one of the most coveted recognitions for companies and executives in Qatar.” Abdul Aziz Al Emadi, Director, Listing Department added “Whilst the IR Excellence Program itself is a new initiative for Qatar Stock Exchange, a focus on improving investor relations for our listed companies is not. We have been encouraging our listed companies over a number of years to adopt best practice including the establishment of specific expertise in dedicated Departments and we see the Investor Relations Excellence Program as another part of that ongoing development.” Notes to editors: The Qatar Stock Exchange Investor Relations Excellence Program consists of two main areas: Voting System: A public voting system to recognize the best small, mid and large cap companies; the best Investor Relations Officer, the best CFO and the best overall Investor Relations in the country. Members of investment community will cast their votes via an online survey tool. Votes are anonymous and gathered by an independent third party. Website Ranking: An objective website ranking of all Qatar Stock Exchange listed companies will act as a proxy for excellence in disclosure and transparency of Qatari companies. The website ranking criteria will be published and available to the public at least three months before the ranking takes place to give companies an opportunity to enhance their website presence. Criteria are divided into three main categories: technology, content and service. These categories each have five criteria with over 100 sub-criteria. All Qatari companies will automatically be entered into the IR Excellence program. A public voting system will start from September 2015 and a detailed website ranking will commence on August 2015. All members of the investment community will be eligible to vote for the best companies. Iridium, on behalf of Qatar Stock Exchange, will manage the distribution of emails and questionnaires to a database of around 2,000 regional and international investor contacts who are active in the Qatari market. The firm will also rank the company’s websites. ENDS About Qatar Stock Exchange: Established in 1995, the Doha Securities Market (DSM) officially commenced operations in May 1997. Since then the Exchange has grown to become one of the leading stock markets in the GCC region and for two consecutive years (2010, 2011), was the best performing stock Exchange in the GCC. The DSM was later renamed the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE). QSE currently has 43 listed companies and its market capitalization is over QR730 billion (US$200 billion). The primary aim of QSE is to support Qatar’s economy by giving investors a platform through which they can trade fairly and efficiently. QSE also provides the public with access to market information, ensures correct disclosure of information, and enforces securities regulations. QSE is regulated by the Qatar Financial Markets Authority. For more information, please visit www.qe.com.qa About Iridium – Investor Relations: Iridium’s singular focus is Investor Relations. The firm blends advisory across the entire value chain of Investor Relations with international best practice technologies and workflow solutions. That way Iridium supports corporate and government issuers who seek to obtain, maintain and retain investor confidence in their investment case, their business strategy and their management team. In high-impact scenarios such as M&A transactions, IPOs, debt issuance or special situations, Iridium’s extensive frontline Investor Relations experience enables clients to improve valuations and achieve excellence in investor relations. www.iridium.ae ——————
+++++ Additional features: Document: http://n.equitystory.com/c/fncls.ssp?u=KCYHDJVFRG Document title: QSE Iridium 2015-04-30 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP – a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de |
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