Conference Committee

Rob Gurner

Head of Investor Relations, Inchcape

Deputy Chair of the IR Society
Chair of the Conference Committee
Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee

Rob joined Inchcape plc, the leading global automotive distributor, as Head of IR in April 2023, have previously been at Plus500, a global fintech group, which he joined in May 2020. Prior to that, Rob spent 3 years as Head of IR at Inmarsat plc, a satellite operator, before which he was Head of Global Investor relations for Tokyo-listed Dentsu Inc, following their acquisition of Aegis plc in 2013, where was Head of IR. Before that, Rob had senior IR roles for Lonmin Plc, a platinum mining business, and G4S plc, a security services company. Before moving into in-house IR, Rob worked for a number of financial communications consultancies.

Robert Dann

Head of Marketing & Operations - IR Society

Rob joined the IR Society in January 2012 as head of marketing, with responsibility for the society’s marketing and sponsorship programme. In 2014 Rob’s role developed to incorporate all of the society’s membership activities, including member recruitment and retention and the identification of potential new member groups. In 2019 the roles further expanded to incorporate internal processes and operations. Prior to moving into IR Rob had previously worked in marketing roles across a number of sectors, most recently as group head online for an international media company.

Matt Denham

Partner, Headland

Photo & bio to follow.

Anneka Finnane

Events Manager - IR Society

Anneka joined the IR Society in May 2024 as Events Manager. Her most recent role was at the Association of Foreign Banks as Senior Practice, Events and Training Associate. Prior to that, she has worked in various membership organisations such as the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, British Council for Offices, and Industry and Parliament Trust, managing a wide variety of events and training programmes. Anneka has a degree in Event Management from Bournemouth University. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her family.

Toby Flaux

UK Investment Banking, Berenberg

Photo & bio to follow.

Matt Hall

CEO - IR Society

Matt is CEO at the Investor Relations Society, where he is responsible for the delivery of the Society's strategic and operational objectives.

Prior to joining the Society, Matt held senior roles for representative membership organisations within financial and professional services, including UK Finance, the Chartered Insurance Institute, and TheCityUK. Matt is a Non-Executive Director at the Association of Democratic Services Officers (ADSO) and has an MBA from Bayes Business School.

Anna Hartropp

Director, Anna Hartropp Ltd

Anna runs a specialist investor relations search firm using her knowledge and experience of having worked in-house as a permanent IRO and IR consultant, as well as having been an Advisor.

Her work in Investor Relations at small, mid and large cap Companies includes Cookson, M&S, Logica (now CGI) and Laird. As an IR Consultant, Anna provided Interim IR solutions as well as projects to help orientate newly appointed IR professionals. Anna worked latterly as an Advisor at Liberum Capital working with listed Companies as well as helping to bring private companies to the market. She has been an active member of the Investor Relations Society and currently sits on the Membership Committee.

Prior to Investor Relations, Anna worked for a high net worth individual and for several key figures at the Conservative Party, including Lord Saatchi, the Rt Hon David Cameron and the Rt Hon Theresa May MP. 

Michael Hufton

Head of Investor Relations, Computershare Investor Engagement

Michael founded ingage in 2013 to provide Enterprise Investor Relations software solutions enabling easy, efficient engagement between companies and investors.  Since the acquisition of ingage by Computershare in 2024, Michael is Head of Investor Relations within Computershare’s Investor Engagement business.  Prior to ingage, Michael spent 18 years in the capital markets, 10 as a portfolio manager and buy-side analyst and 8 on the sell-side at Cazenove & Co, where he was a partner.

Clara Melia

CEO and Founder, Equitory

Clara founded Equitory in 2016 as a consultancy specialised in providing outsourced investor relations services on a retained, interim and project basis. Equitory is now a large team of former senior in-house IR professionals, with a growing client base covering highly regarded UK and international companies. Clara is the host of Enquire, the Investor Relations podcast, and a regular commentator on trends and developments in IR. Prior to her consultancy work, Clara was Head of Investor Relations at ITV plc, a FTSE 100 commercial broadcaster, having previously worked in Investor Relations at Close Brothers Group plc, a FTSE 250 Financial Services Group. Clara is a Chartered Accountant and began her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers before moving into Corporate Broking for RBS Hoare Govett.

David Watts

Director, Lazard

David joined Lazard in 2020 as part of the Makinson Cowell team.  He advises U.K. and international listed companies on all aspects of their investor relations and on communicating their investment propositions to the capital markets.  David's clients come from a wide range of sectors, including consumer goods, food retail, support services, and TMT.  He works with investor relations departments, executive management, and Boards as a long-term retained advisor, as well as on Investor Perception Studies and other periodic projects.  Prior to joining Lazard, David was part of the Makinson Cowell team at KPMG, where he qualified as a chartered accountant.