Qatar Stock Exchange Holds 9th Annual
Investor Relations Conference in Doha
November 20, 2018
Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) today held the 9th
Annual Investor Relations Conference at the Rotana City Center
in Doha, with the participation of representatives from listed
companies, market participants, regulatory bodies and investors.
The conference aims to promote the adoption of international
best practice in the field of Investor Relations (IR) amongst
its listed companies, in an interactive type sitting so that all
listed companies and the investment community can gain greater
exposure to the latest IR strategies and effective practices
utilized worldwide.
Mr. Rashid bin Ali Al Mansoori, CEO of Qatar
Stock Exchange, stressed in a speech during the opening of the
conference on the importance of investor relations in light of
the growing competition to attract capital and investments, and
added that the QSE strives to promote the sustainability of its
listed companies, especially in this important period in the
history of the state. Now is the time for responsible companies
that aspire to expand and grow to enhance their credibility in
the minds of its investors, the market and the community in
general.
Mr. Al Mansoori pointed out that the process
of defining the strategic goals of the company and communicating
it to employees is one of the pillars that improve transparency
and raise the company's valuation, while effective communication
between the departments of companies and investors is vital to
the success of any company. This falls on the shoulders of the
Investors Relations Officer alone, who should provide assistance
and support to disseminate information, handle inquiries and
meetings, manage crises, and deliver feedback and information to
management.
Mr. Al Mansoori stressed the importance of
access to Executive Management of companies in the current
regulatory environment (Access to Management), which has become
imperative, especially as the way to access Executive Management
of companies is expected to change compared to its traditional
form, and the number of independent service providers is
projected to increase. Hence, promotional campaigns and
roadshows for listed companies are going to become increasingly
important.
“Well-crafted web sites will reinforce your
brand, show corporate transparency and educate as well as
inspire your stakeholders. Good sites will deepen your
relationships with investors.” Al Mansoori said.
Mr. Al Mansoori spoke about Environmental,
Social and Governance disclosures (ESG), one of the most
attractive subjects to an increasing number of investors. Mr. Al
Mansoori told the conference participants that it was agreed
with Qatar Financial Markets Authority to launch the
Sustainability Reporting Platform on the QSE website within one
month, and invited the listed companies to provide the QSE with
any comments or suggestions.
“Effective from 1st of October 2019, Qatar
will be introducing a mandatory “rules-based” framework for IR;
the Rules reflect best-practice and should in any case be
standard for listed companies in today’s regulatory capital
markets’ environment. For some, this will represent only
‘business as usual’ but for others you will undoubtedly need to
pay more attention to your IR function and its resourcing.”
Al-Mansoori added.
“We are working hard to adopt a number of
initiatives aimed at developing investor relations by listed
companies. These initiatives are a continuation of efforts
launched by the Stock Exchange in cooperation with Qatar
Financial Markets Authority several years ago, where the focus
was on developing the performance and practices of Investor
Relations players within listed companies. We seek to support
the sustainability of our listed companies in the coming years
and decades. This is an important moment in the history of our
country. Now is the time for responsible companies desiring to
grow and flourish to enhance the confidence of their investors,
market and society as a whole.
Mr. Abdul Aziz Al Emadi, Listing of QSE,
said: “The event builds on the ground work of prior events and
is specifically designed this year to give our listed companies
the opportunity to interact with industry experts in the area of
IR. The agenda
topics of this conference give the listed Qatari companies the
opportunity to interact with investor relations experts and
identify the most important actions that a company must take to
in any possible unforeseen circumstances.
“At QSE, we strive to deliver the necessary
tools and the know-how in developing your IR strategies within
your respective companies and better yet communicating an
effective strategy to the international investment community.”
Mr. Al-Emadi concluded.
The conference was attended by a number of
prominent speakers from investment companies, financial
institutions and major companies listed on the Qatar Exchange.
The conference included a number of important topics covering
the best global practices in the field of investor relations and
highlighting the methods of developing websites dedicated to
investor relations, as well as topics around Environmental,
Social and Governance disclosure.
Qatar Exchange and its listed companies have
worked together for many years to ensure the development of
disclosure and transparency practices through greater focus on
investor relations. This has played an important role in Qatar's
inclusion of the MSCI, S&P and FTSE indices for emerging markets
to increase interest in Qatar's stock market and all of its
listed companies.
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