IR Webinar: Preparing for and pre-empting shareholder activists

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Join us for a webinar around preparing for and responding to activism, as an IR professional.

Following on from our discussion in October 2025, this session will feature experts in shareholder activism and will look at the evolving landscape, latest trends and tactics deployed by activists; how to spot them by using data analytics; and a deep dive into preparation, defence and how to respond in a live situation.

Moderator: Alistair de Kare-Silver

Senior Client Advisor, Temple Bar Advisory

Alistair is an Investor Relations and Corporate Communications specialist with over a decade of experience advising management teams of UK and international companies.

He has helped management teams strengthen their relationships with investors, build support for their strategies and compete effectively for investment. He has successfully steered companies through critical moments including profit warnings, transactions, M&A, IPOs, placings, disposals, CVAs, administrations, restructuring programmes, crises and activism. He also has particular expertise across ESG, digital communications, crisis and issues management.

He holds both The Certificate and The Diploma in Investor Relations. Alistair has a degree in International History and Politics from the University of Leeds.

Guest speaker: Tom Matthews

Partner, White & Case LLP

Tom Matthews is a partner in our global M&A and Corporate practice based in London. Tom is also Head of the Firm's EMEA Activism practice.

Tom has over 20 years' experience advising corporates, investment banks, private equity and hedge funds and family offices on international public and private M&A transactions, joint ventures, primary and secondary equity raisings and sell-downs, and listed company advisory and corporate governance matters.

Tom also advises a number of companies, activist funds, founder shareholders and other active shareholders on their shareholder engagement campaigns and responses.

Guest speaker: Garrett Muzikowski, CFA, CAIA

Managing Director, FTI Consulting

Garrett Muzikowski is a Managing Director for the M&A, Activism & Governance practice in FTI Consulting’s Strategic Communications segment. Mr. Muzikowski supports companies in the development of strategies to secure shareholder support in both contested and uncontested situations.

Mr. Muzikowski advises clients preparing for shareholder activism and when navigating live activism situations, ranging from private engagements to proxy fights and contested M&A. He has advised companies when engaging with Elliott Management, Starboard Value, Jana Partners, Engaged Capital, Legion Partners, Ananym Capital and Land & Buildings, among other activist funds.

Mr. Muzikowski also counsels companies on corporate governance matters. With a distinct understanding of how to appeal to investors’ internal voting policies, he partners with clients to draft compelling proxy statements and develop effective shareholder engagement strategies. During his career, he has helped clients secure favorable outcomes on hundreds of proposals, including director elections, Say on Pay proposals, equity plans and environmental or social shareholder proposals.

Guest speaker: Jamie Stanton

Senior Director, Surveillance, Q4

Jamie Stanton leads the Capital Markets team at Q4 Inc., focusing on delivering data-driven insights that empower IROs and CFOs to make smarter decisions. Passionate about the digital transformation of the capital markets, Jamie is dedicated to modernizing how public companies engage with the investment community. Prior to Q4, he advised companies across the spectrum from mega-caps to nano-caps on IR best practices within the consumer sector at IHS Markit.
 

Dates

• 4.00pm to 5.00pm Monday 23 February, 2026

Location

• Online - Zoom

Open to Members and Non-members

Book now

• Free to members
  £0
• Non-members - £30+VAT
  £36

IR Networking: Senior IRO Breakfast

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This series of in-person networking events are designed to allow Senior IROs to share ideas and engage in peer group discussion in an informal environment. The event will be attended by in-house-IR practitioners along with a member of the Society's Board and Executive Team. 

This event is for Society IRO members only. Premium members can attend for free if their allowance allows; for other members a fee of £30+VAT will apply.

Please note, as numbers are limited, priority will be given to those who have not previously attended. Chatham House rule will apply.

Moderator: Matt Hall

CEO - The Investor Relations 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.

Dates

• 8.15am to 9.45am Thursday 5 March, 2026

Location

• City of London, Venue TBC

Exclusive to Corporate Members

Book now

• Free to Premium Members
  £0
• Corporate Members - £30 + VAT
  £36

IR Seminar: Ask Me Anything: Award Winners

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Join us to hear from a panel of the Investor Relations Society's Best Practice Awards 2025 winners, across a range of award categories and caps. This event, kindly hosted by S&P Global, will also provide an opportunity for audience questions and networking.

Award winners joining the panel:

Ross Hawley, Head of Investor Relations, ZIGUP - Best Innovation in IR - Mid Cap Winner & Best Corporate Website - Mid Cap Winner
Others to be confirmed soon.

Agenda

08:00 Registration and networking with a light breakfast

08:30 Panel discussion followed by Q&A

09:30 Networking with teas and coffees

10:00 Close

Moderator: Siobhán Andrews

Head of Investor Relations, Smiths Group

Siobhán has more than 18 years’ expertise in Investor Relations, and more than 10 years’ capital markets experience in equity research and within investment management. She is currently Head of IR at Smiths Group, and was previously Head of IR at Spectris and Deputy Head of IR at BG Group. Prior to her career in IR, Siobhán was a research analyst covering the utilities sector at UBS, and also worked at a leading UK investment management company.

Moderator: Louise Curran

Head of Investor Relations, Johnson Matthey

Louise has a decade of experience in Investor Relations across multiple sectors and for global companies spanning UK, US and Australian listing regimes. Louise is currently Head of Investor Relations at Johnson Matthey, having joined as Senior Investor Relations Manager in 2018. Previously she was Investor Relations Manager at Janus Henderson – formerly Henderson – where she was involved in the communication of a transformational, cross-border merger of equals. Prior to this, Louise worked for a strategy consultancy having initially qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG. Louise completed her MChem in Chemistry at the University of Oxford.

Guest speaker: Ross Hawley

Head of Investor Relations - ZIGUP

Ross is an experienced IRO with both an in-house and advisory background. Originally in equity capital markets banking, Ross has over 20 years of in-house corporate experience, including FTSE100 businesses such as Rolls-Royce, where he was Assistant Director of IR; and Man Group plc, the alternative investment manager, where he was involved in a very wide range of capital raisings and corporate transactions for over a decade.  Ross has also set up and led the IR function for a number of smaller companies, and recently was Sustainability Manager for Virgin Atlantic before heading the IR activities at FTSE250 ZIGUP. He is a graduate of Cambridge University.

Dates

• 8.00am to 10.00am Wednesday 11 March, 2026

Location

• S&P Global, 25 Ropemaker Street, London EC2Y 9LY

Open to all Members and Non-members

Book now

• Free to Members
  £0
• Non-members - £50 + VAT
  £60

IR Networking: Newcomers to IR

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This breakfast event is aimed at those who are starting out in an inhouse investor relations role (within the last year), or for those currently within junior roles who wish to progress their careers. This informal, in-person networking event is designed to facilitate peer discussions, the sharing of ideas and to help participants build their networks. 

This event is for Society IRO members only. Premium members can attend for free if their allowance allows; for other members a fee of £30+VAT will apply.

Please note, numbers are limited and places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Chatham House rule will apply.

Dates

• 8.15am to 9.45am Thursday 16 April, 2026

Location

• City of London, Venue TBC

Exclusive to Corporate Members

Book now

• Free to Premium Members
  £0
• Corporate Members - £30 + VAT
  £36

Annual Conference 2026

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The Investor Relations Society’s Annual Conference 2026 will be taking place on Tuesday 24 June at the IET: Savoy Place. You can book the Advanced Early Bird rate now.

Dates

• 8.00am to 7.00pm Wednesday 24 June, 2026

Location

• IET: Savoy Place, 2 Savoy Place, London, WC2R 0BL

Open to all Members and Non-members

Book now

Best Practice Awards 2026

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Please head to the dedicated Awards website for further information.

The Investor Relations Society Best Practice Awards offer a truly meaningful opportunity to showcase best practice in investor communications. Each award category covers companies from the largest to the smallest - across the UK, Europe and internationally - in recognition of the diverse range of listed businesses looking to the UK for excellence in IR. The real value of this awards programme is that it allows the Society to feedback to the IR community what great looks like in terms of how companies are communicating with their stakeholders. Join us for the announcement of the annual best practice award winners for 2026 taking place at Royal Lancaster on Tuesday 24 November 2026. 

For further information visit the dedicated awards website.

Dates

• 5.30pm to 12.30am Tuesday 24 November, 2026

Location

• Royal Lancaster, Lancaster Terrace, W2 2TY

Open to all Members and Non-members

Book now

• Individual tickets: £525 + VAT
  £630
• Table of 10: £4,725 + VAT
  £5670