CEO Update - October 2026

Hello, and welcome to October’s CEO update.  

This time, I’m speaking to you from Dubai, where it has been a real pleasure to represent the Society at MEIRA’s 2026 conference. 

One of my strongest impressions has been the confidence and ambition across the region. I expected many of my conversations with IROs to focus on uncertainty and risk. Instead, people have been talking about expansion, new markets, and new sources of capital. 

This didn’t feel like blind optimism. Those risks and uncertainties are still being managed carefully, but they are not being allowed to define the strategy or the story. It has been a genuinely positive message to hear. 

It has also been great to see so many colleagues and friends from the UK, which emphasised the close connections between our respective markets, and it’s always valuable to spend time with the leaders of other investor relations associations. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - these international connections matter. We all benefit from sharing experiences and learning from one another. 

Back in the UK, the Modernising Corporate Reporting consultation has been gathering pace, alongside the Society’s engagement.

In conversations with the Financial Reporting Council, and at the Quoted Companies Alliance annual dinner, there was a clear and consistent message. The aim is not simply to have less regulation, but to create better regulation: simpler, more proportionate and more flexible, while protecting the strength of the UK’s corporate reporting and governance framework. 

The consultation is being described as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity”. Perhaps we will be a bit tired of hearing that phrase by the time we reach the 30 November deadline, but the enthusiasm behind it feels genuine. There is a real desire across government, regulators and industry to make reporting work better for companies, investors and wider stakeholders. 

The Society’s members have a particularly valuable contribution to make. They understand how reporting is used by investors, how expectations are changing and how companies are responding to a more digital and data-driven environment. We will make sure that practical experience is heard as the Society continues to engage, starting with a roundtable with government stakeholders later this month. 

I’ll end on a couple of reminders. Our member survey is open now – please find the time to complete it. It’s 10 minutes from your day that provide the team and I with a whole year of actionable insight – the more you can tell us about what you want and need, the more the Society can do to meet your expectation.  

And places for our upcoming Best Practice Awards are selling fast. We had a record number of entries this year and the quality is exceptional, so you can expect a fantastic evening celebrating the very best in UK and international IR. That’s all from me, see you in November.