The International Certificate in Investor Relations (ICIR) programme will take place on 26-27 June 2018 in Santiago, Chile at the Santiago Exchange having been successfully started in 2017.
GovernArt and The Investor Relations Society of the United Kingdom (GovernArt / IR Society) delivered the ICIR in Latin America for the first time in November 2017 at the Santiago Exchange to 12 delegates from Chile and Peru. The IR Officers participating in the programme represented a broad cross-section of business in Latin America and ten of the delegates went on to take and pass the ICIR exam.
The ICIR is an internationally recognised qualification for the investor relations profession. The qualification allows successful candidates to demonstrate their knowledge of the operating and regulatory environment and to apply best practice in investor communications.
The programme is a valuable benchmark for those already in the profession and an essential prerequisite for those seeking to work in investor relations. With over 1,300 successful candidates from more than 25 countries, the ICIR is firmly established as the leading IR qualification worldwide.
According to German Heufemann, Managing Partner of GovernArt, the ICIR represents not only a good way to update knowledge of international best practices, but is also a practical course to understand the key role of investor relations and sustainability teams of Latin American companies in integrating ESG issues in investor communications. He said, “we are very honoured to work with the IR Society to bring the ICIR to Latin America. It is clear for us that the Certificate is the gold standard in terms of Investor Relations, a must for any Investor Relations Officer who aims to be at the forefront in terms of knowledge and good corporate practices in this area.”
John Gollifer, General Manager of The IR Society commented, “this timely initiative by GovernArt, The Santiago Exchange and the IR Society combines a principles-based framework for IR and a practical way to give companies the knowledge and tools for the development of their own strategies for investor communications.» He added that ‘obtaining the ICIR provides international recognition as a qualified IR practitioner and demonstrates competence and growing expertise as an IRO.”
About the ICIR
The agreement between the IR Society and GovernArt grants GovernArt an exclusive right to market and promote the ICIR in Chile and Latin America and to take registrations for ICIR candidates on behalf of the IR Society.
The Certificate programme is delivered in the English language over two days and includes the following key contents: an introduction to IR and the financial markets; company law and regulation; equity investors and investment principles; disclosure rules and corporate governance; international regulation and compliance; accounting, finance and market valuation of a company; and key issues in investor communications, including ESG matters.
The ICIR currently runs in the UK, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Middle East, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and now Latin America.
About the Trainer
John Gollifer has been the General Manager and a director of the UK’s Investor Relations Society since 2012. Prior to this, John spent 11 years as Senior Vice President at the Singapore Exchange, Southeast Asia’s largest market operator, where he was responsible for investor relations, among other roles in strategy and communications. John established the IR Professionals Association of Singapore in 2006, is a multiple IR award winner and created and taught an IR course at the Singapore Management University from 2009 to 2012. Trained as a banker, John spent 15 years in Asia and Europe in corporate finance and equity capital markets. Since joining the IR Society, which works in partnership with other IR associations, John has led IR training in Chile, Dubai, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Thailand and Turkey, as well as in the UK.
About the Investor Relations Society
The Investor Relations Society (IR Society) is a membership organisation that exists to promote best practice investor relations in the UK and beyond. It is run by IR professionals for IR professionals. Established in 1980, the IR Society’s mission is to promote best practice in investor relations; to support the professional development of its members; to represent their views to regulatory bodies, the investment community and government; and to act as a forum for issuers and the investment community.
The IR Society has over 800 members from the UK, Europe and beyond, including representatives from most of the FTSE 100, a large number of FTSE 250 companies and a growing number of AIM and smaller companies, as well as IR advisers and service providers. For more information visit www.irs.org.uk or connect with us on Twitter (@IRSocietyUK) or LinkedIn
About Santiago Exchange
Santiago Exchange is Chile’s largest Exchange and third in Latin America, with an average daily trading value of + U$ 1.5 billion in Fixed Income, Equities and Derivatives markets. Its strategic focus is to develop the Chilean Capital Markets, providing business opportunities for intermediaries, issuers and local and international investors, and to ensure that intermediaries and clients trade on reliable and transparent platforms with the state-of-the-art technology and efficiency standards. Santiago Exchange is member of the Latin American Integrated Market (MILA), and of the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), Iberoamerican Federation of Exchanges (FIAB) and the Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE), and as of June 2017, it is a demutualized Exchange.
About GovernArt
GovernArt is Chile’s unique think tank &ESG firm in Latin America, with consultancy services in ESG Ratings, ESG Consulting, and Financial and ESG Communications. GovernArt provides ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) assesment, ratings and solutions for companies and investors; it also provides advice and support to integrate ESG dimensions into corporate strategy for all types of organisations, as well as a deep understanding of the vital role of Financial and ESG communications in everyday challenges and long term value creation. In the last years, its services include Executive Training, aimed to close the corporate sustainability – capital markets gap.
Contact
For more information about the International Certificate in Investor Relations (ICIR) to be delivered in Latin America, or to learn more about its syllabus, please contact:
Diana Rubinstein
Commercial Director
GovernArt
diana.rubinstein@governart.com
