The IR Society announces appointments of new Chair and Deputy Chairs
The Investor Relations Society (the Society) is pleased to announce that Douglas Radcliffe, Group Investor Relations Director at Lloyds Banking Group and former Deputy Chair of the Society has assumed the role of Chair
30th June 2023, London, UK: The Investor Relations Society (the Society) is pleased to announce that Douglas Radcliffe, Group Investor Relations Director at Lloyds Banking Group and former Deputy Chair of the Society has assumed the role of Chair, following the retirement of David Walker, Chief Operating Officer at British Land who stepped down as Chair at the conclusion of the Board meeting on 29th June, 2023. Alison Owers, MD, Head of UK, at Morrow Sodali, and Ross Hawley, Head of Investor Relations at Redde Northgate will assume the roles of Deputy Chair.
The Board wishes to thank David Walker for his leadership and support of the Society over the last 10 years both as Chair and Board Member.
David Walker said: “I’m very proud to leave the Board in such a strong position and I am delighted that Douglas Radcliffe, who has been Deputy Chair to me for three years will succeed me as Chair of the Society. I wish him and the whole team nothing but success.”
It has been an honour to serve on the Board over the last 10 years. IR is a fantastic profession, and has never been in better shape with respect to the breadth and depth of talent. I have no doubt that, with the Society’s support, IR in the UK will continue to thrive. A huge thank you to the brilliant executive team and to my fellow Board members for their support.”
Douglas Radcliffe commented: “I am delighted to be taking over as Chair of the Society and I would like to thank David for his leadership and commitment to the Society. He has been instrumental in promoting the importance of the IR profession at the highest levels within UK plc, and a great advocate for equality and diversity across all of our activities.
Alison and Ross have already made valuable contributions as board members and they bring a wealth of practical experience to our discussions. I look forward to working with them and my fellow board directors, Laura and her team, and most importantly, our membership.”
For further information:
Laura Hayter, CEO, The IR Society
+44 20 7379 1763 or laura.hayter@irsociety.org.uk
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Notes for editors:
Douglas Radcliffe - Group Investor Relations Director, Lloyds Banking Group
Douglas is Group Investor Relations Director at Lloyds Banking Group, having led the team for the last eight years and been a senior member of the team at Lloyds Bank and subsequently Lloyds Banking Group for the last fifteen years. Prior to joining the Investor Relations team Douglas held management positions within Group Strategy, Group Risk and Private Banking having initially joined Lloyds Bank on the graduate development programme. Douglas was elected to the Board of the IR Society in 2016.
Alison Owers – MD, Head of UK, Morrow Sodali
Alison joined Morrow Sodali in February 2023 as Managing Director of the UK. She is responsible for designing and overseeing the UK strategy and providing a broad range of ESG and shareholder engagement services to global clients. Before joining Morrow Sodali, Alison spent 12 years at Orient Capital and D.F. King Ltd in various senior leadership roles in the UK and EMEA and most recently as their Global CEO, working with some of the world’s largest companies to support shareholder engagement and investor relations activities. Prior to this, she spent seven years at Capita plc as their Head of Investor Relations Services before being promoted to Managing Director of IR Services and previously Alison managed the UK Client reporting team at Investment Bank, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, specialising in shareholder analytics for UK large/mid cap companies. Alison was elected to the Board of the IR Society in 2014.
Ross Hawley – Head of Investor Relations, Redde Northgate
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 Redde Northgate. Ross was elected to the Board of the IR Society in 2014.
About The Investor Relations Society
The Investor Relations Society (IR Society) is a membership organisation that exists to promote best practice investor relations in the UK and beyond. It is run by IR professionals for IR professionals. Established in 1980, the IR Society’s mission is to promote best practice in investor relations; to support the professional development of its members; to represent their views to regulatory bodies, the investment community and government; and to act as a forum for issuers and the investment community.
The Society has around 800 members from the UK, Europe and beyond, including representatives from most of the FTSE 100, a large number of FTSE 250 companies and a number of AIM and smaller companies as well as IR advisers and service providers. For more information visit www.irsociety.org.uk or connect with us on Twitter (@IRSocietyUK) or LinkedIn.
Published 30 June, 2023