Middle East IR Pulse launches regional insights and intelligence series

The Middle East Investor Relations Association (“MEIRA”), in collaboration with Instinctif Partners and Prose Solutions, has launched the first report of a new intelligence series, “Middle East IR Pulse”. The Pulse series aggregates insights and expertise from senior IR practitioners across MENA, with monthly reports and webinars provided to the regional IR community. Respondents represent large corporates headquartered in 8 countries, with a combined market capitalisation of more than USD 200 billion.

Each Middle East IR Pulse report, published monthly, will be supported by a webinar hosted by John Gollifer, General Manager of MEIRA, and by representatives of the Pulse’s collaborating parties, George Allen, Partner at Instinctif Partners, and David Grunfeld, Managing Director of Prose Solutions. The webinars will also be attended by VIP guest speakers, with the first event – held on 28^th July – hosting Chris Wilson, Head of Investor Relations at Aldar Properties.

Commenting on the launch of the IR Pulse series, John Gollifer, General Manager of MEIRA, said: “The purpose of the Pulse is to provide monthly reports and discussions on what matters most to IR professionals – and their organisations – across MENA. By gathering insights and intelligence from our panel of experts, we aim to deliver a quick and useful snapshot of the current state of IR in the region, unlocking trends that will help drive better planning and decision making. We’re very pleased to be working with Instinctif Partners and Prose Solutions on this initiative, and are immensely grateful to the IR professionals who have participated, including our guest speakers, who we look forward to hosting.”

George Allen, Partner at Instinctif Partners MENA, commented: “We are excited to have launched the Pulse series in partnership with MEIRA and Prose Solutions, and we hope that members of the IR community will find the reports valuable. In our first report, a spotlight on Environmental, Social and Governance found that 74% of IR professionals see ESG issues as having become more important to management and shareholders since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, with Social issues considered the most important pillar for 48% of respondents. This is promising to see, as investors around the world build ESG metrics more deeply into their stock selection criteria, encouraging MENA issuers to respond accordingly.”

David Grunfeld, Managing Director at Prose Solutions, said: “This is a new and compelling opportunity for IR intelligence sharing, and we are delighted to be collaborating with MEIRA and Instinctif Partners. Highlights from our first Pulse report showed that 50% of IR professionals believe their company is currently undervalued. This indicates a potential value gap between investors’ views on companies in the region and the views those companies have of themselves, particularly in light of the impact of Covid-19 and a low oil price environment. We look forward to seeing if and how that gap changes during the second half of the year.”

To download the Middle IR Pulse – July 2020, click here.