CEO Update - July 2026
Hello everyone,
As the start of the month, I joined UK Finance’s M&A Conference. It was interesting to hear of a less conservative outlook from boards and particularly shareholders on deals that will facilitate growth. Deep dives into the most active sectors including financial services, energy and infrastructure, and defence and security, provided useful steer into where future deals are likely to be seen.
For Society members, M&A activity raises important considerations, including how a transaction might impact the equity story, the importance of understanding disclosure and market sensitivity, and critically, how management can be supported in understanding investor and market sentiment in real time. It can be an exceptionally challenging time personally but can also forge the skills and experience needed to excel, as the discussions from our 'Resilience under Pressure' panel at our own conference demonstrated a few weeks earlier.
Our latest non-member breakfast provided an opportunity to connect with more professionals from the broader IR environment. The conversation was led by our Deputy Chair Rob Gurner, and explored implementation of AI tools and services, before looking more specifically towards professional and career development, exploring what makes a candidate stand out in an increasingly competitive environment for IR roles.
I was very pleased to see the Society launch our position paper on the Modernisation of Corporate Reporting, which is available to read and download on our website. This is a critically important issue for our members, and we’ll be using this document to engage with policymakers, regulators, and stakeholders. We’ve had some fantastic early feedback which has really validated the approach, and show the appetite to explore how future reform can strengthen transparency, accountability, investor confidence and the effectiveness of UK capital markets.
When we’re talking about corporate reporting our value proposition is simple - we firmly believe that investor Relations occupies a unique position between companies, investors and capital markets and we know our members witness first-hand how reporting is developing and changing in a rapidly evolving environment. Your perspectives and expertise will be an essential part of the ongoing conversation.
July also tends to be a Board and Committee month, with meetings of the Board, Events, Education, Finance, Policy, and Membership Committees all taking place, not to mention our AI and Debt IR working groups all using the mid-year point to reflect on progress to date, and look ahead to the rest of the 2026. We’ve got some exciting plans and initiatives coming that I’m looking forward to sharing with you.
These meetings are also a reminder, as if I needed it, of the strength and importance of our professional community. So many of our members give their time and expertise to the Society, which allows us to ensure what we do it relevant and valuable to everyone working in investor relations. A shared theme throughout the meetings was increasing capability and representation across our committees, which means more opportunities to get involved and shape what we do. If you’re interested in getting involved, keep an eye out for more information later this year, or feel free to get in touch for a chat.
That’s all from me, see you in August!