IR Department, in partnership with Morgans and Stockhead is pleased to present the inaugural HealthInvest 2024 summit at Kittyhawk on Wednesday September 18, 2024.

We are thrilled to welcome our new Corporate Media Relations Manager, Evelyn Yang to the IR Department team. 

One of the key questions for companies that are just getting started with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is which topics they should focus on. 

Depending on which ESG framework you use, there could be more than 30 topics that fall under the umbrella of ‘ESG’. Companies are not expected to manage and report on all topics, but just those topics the company has determined to be ‘material’. 

2023 has been another exciting year for the team. In this blog post, the IR Department team provides their reflections on one interesting fact or lesson they learnt this year, and one favourite book/podcast (or TV series) recommendation.

Gender diversity on boards is a key ESG performance indicator for listed companies of all sizes and across industries. Here’s what you need to know:

• Workforce diversity is considered a material disclosure according to the ESG reporting framework preferred by investors, with a particular focus on gender diversity at executive level
  
  
• Institutional investors are ramping up advocacy around board diversity; for ASX 300 companies with poor female representation, this could see the re-election of male directors vetoed
  
  
• Since 2010 the ASX has recommended listed companies set and disclose a diversity target annually, and investors are increasingly expecting this recommendation to be adopted.

If your institutional investors aren’t asking you about your board diversity targets just yet, chances are they soon will be.

We are pleased to announce the publication of IR Department’s foundational Environmental Social Governance (ESG) report.

The report provides a snapshot of our ESG performance and sets out the objectives of our ESG program to June 2024.

We produced the report off the back of the launch of our ESG practice earlier this year, to respond to the growing reporting needs of our micro and small cap clients. We know that ESG reporting can feel overwhelming, and confusing. We wanted to demonstrate a simple approach to producing high quality ESG information, and establishing a program with strong ties back to business objectives.

Here are 5 key take-aways for companies wanting to get started with their own reporting program:

And what to do about it.

As governments around the world roll out mandatory climate reporting legislation to support the world’s transition to a net zero emissions economy, it’s clear that large entities will need to begin emissions accounting some time over the next 12 months, if they aren’t already doing so.

The impact of mandatory reporting on smaller businesses, though, has not been so clear.

A new move by Amazon to update its Supply Chain Standards next year to require its suppliers to share their emissions data and set reduction goals gives us some clue of how the requirements imposed on larger companies could trickle down on smaller entities – and when.

In short, it appears smaller entities are going to be impacted much sooner than anticipated.

Key takeaways

• The new sustainability disclosure standards, IFRS S1 and S2, draw upon and consolidate many of the leading ESG reporting frameworks in use today
• Designed to standardise ESG reporting principles for the benefit of the investment community in decision making process
• Governments are developing new legislation for listed entities aligned with standards
• Based on accounting principles, the new standards are expected to significantly change corporate reporting, and spur a large uptake of emissions accounting by organisations.

• New ESG practice bolsters consultancy’s client offering
• Appointment of Jack McLintock, Annabelle Dick and Anna Cvijetić expand IR Department’s investor and public relations expertise

Tara Karnezis is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of IR Department’s client, Gertrude Biomedical. Tara oversees Gertrude’s development of small molecule medicines that target cancer growth and spread.

We were grateful to her for giving us some time as part of our International Women's Day interview series, to discuss her perspective on this year’s theme, “Embracing Equity”.

Bryce Carmine is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer with IR Department’s client, HaemaLogiX, a private Australian biotech company developing immune-based treatments for multiple myeloma.

We were grateful for Bryce giving us some time, as part of our International Women's Day series, to share some insights and perspective on this year’s theme, “Embracing Equity”.

Melinda Sheppard is the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer with IR Department client, Pureprofile Limited (ASX: PPL). Together with CEO Martin Filz, Melinda has been instrumental in the turnaround of the Pureprofile business over the past few years.

We were grateful that she could spend some time with us as part of our International Women's Day series, to share some insights from her career and her perspective on this year’s theme, “Embracing Equity”.

As part of International Women’s Day 2023, IR Department sat down with leaders across a range of industries to discuss their unique perspectives on the theme of “embracing equity”.

In this interview, we speak with Mary Harney (pictured), who is Non-Executive Director for our client, Race Oncology (ASX: RAC), and also Chair of both Oncology One and Microbio.

Mary has had a fascinating career history across health and agricultural sectors. A thoughtful, analytical and persuasive leader, Mary’s positive influence has seen prominent businesses and cultures transformed. A constant throughout her career has been the wealth of opportunity created for both women and men through mentoring and career championship.

Eilis Quinn is General Manager, Australia and New Zealand at Jazz Pharmaceuticals and is also Non-Executive Director with IR Department client, Servatus. 

Recently Eilis took some time out to chat with our Communications Director, Cherie Hartley about International Women’s Day, her experiences and perspectives around this year’s theme, “Embracing Equity”.

ESG (environmental, social, and governance) has become a key factor for investors when making investment decisions. As such, incorporating ESG into your investor relations approach is crucial for success.

Our latest blog post explores the benefits of ESG for companies, including attracting socially responsible investors, managing risks, building a positive brand reputation, and ensuring regulatory compliance. We also provide practical tips on how to integrate ESG into your investor relations approach. Read our blog post now and learn how to build a sustainable and responsible business that benefits all stakeholders. 

Our Digital Content Producer, Paul Langley, talks with Race Oncology's CSO Dr Daniel Tillett, who explains how the recent clinical trials are evolving and what it means for the future. He gives a brief overview on the history of Race, their aspirations and milestones for development and eventual commercialisation of Zantrene.

Our Communications Director, Cherie Hartley, talks with AdAlta's CEO & M.D. Dr Tim Oldham at this year's Bioshares Biotech Summit, who takes us inside the mind of a biotech company. He discussed the importance of focus for a platform company, explains why making decisions on a day-to-day basis is so crucial for risk reduction and why they're investing in supporting core strategies as well as their target product profile.

IRD Invest March 2022 - "Project: 2025"

Watch the replay of Openpay's CEO (Australia & New Zealand) Dion Appel.

IRD Invest 31st March 2022 - "Project: 2025"

Watch the replay of Oventus CEO John Cox's presentation.

IRD Invest 31st March 2022 - "Project: 2025"

Watch the replay of Pureprofile CEO Martin Filz's presentation.

Servatus launches new trial into the effects of live biotherapeutics on insomnia, we talk to CEO Dr Wayne Finlayson to discuss this exciting initiative.

Kazia (ASX: KZA) CEO Dr James Garner discusses the enrolment of the first patient into their phase II study of paxalisib in combination with a ketogenic diet to treat glioblastoma (brain cancer)

Join us on Thurs 31 March for "IRD Invest - Project 2025"

As we look to accelerate the integration of advanced technology over the next three years, our fourth IRD Invest conference considers some of the benefits this change will bring, for businesses and society.

We are delighted to showcase a select number of emerging ASX listed tech companies on 31 March. The free virtual event will focus on companies that are paving the way forward with major advances in technology and innovation.

XPON’s CEO Matt Forman's presentation to the ASX Small – Mid Cap CEO conference

We speak to Ben Fogarty, CEO (UK & Europe) from XPON Technologies Group (see video below) about what the future holds for them and the impact of the upcoming ‘Metaverse’.

A number of breakthrough discoveries for Race Oncology's (ASX:RAC) drug Zantrene® over the past 18 months has seen the company evolve its strategy and clinical programs in order to maximise these opportunities. What does the future for Race look like?

Dengue fever is a massive pandemic that continues to spread beyond geographical limits, with 400 million people affected each year. Island Pharmaceuticals (ASX: ILA) is at the forefront of the battle. Here, CEO David Foster talks about the issue:

Today is International Women’s Day #IWD2022 – a day that shines a spotlight on how we can strive for a world that’s more diverse, equitable and inclusive. It’s a day that recognises the achievements of women, and a world where difference is valued and celebrated!

In recognition of the day, we spoke to some of the inspiring women we work with and invited them to share their views on how we can all take action for a gender equal world in order to #BreakTheBias.

You can find out more about International Women’s Day by visiting https://www.internationalwomensday.com

IRD Invest is a virtual investor conference series hosted by IR Department to showcase emerging companies, and to provide an additional value-add for our investor and client networks.

Servatus Ltd CEO Wayne Finlayson interview

2021 has been a record year for the number of initial public offerings (IPOs), with more than 130 on the ASX so far and dozens more anticipated by the end of December. The heightened IPO activity was fuelled by strong investor demand across a broad range of sectors. Led by resources, healthcare and technology stocks, it’s been the biggest global IPO surge in more than 20 years.

IRD Invest is a virtual investor conference series hosted by IR Department to showcase emerging companies, and to provide an additional value-add for our investor and client networks.

We are all part of a new era. After reaching a low point in mid-2020, the investment landscape has changed dramatically. Companies, like investment markets, are adapting. We want to illustrate how our clients deal with change and provide fresh solutions to assist mitigate the effects of change.

Our third IRD Invest virtual investor conference ran over two days in late September 2021. We heard from a range of ASX listed companies that are innovating by addressing evolving consumer trends and patient needs. 

With another financial reporting season upon us, we thought it an opportune time to consider what the investment community will likely be focusing on as they contemplate how best to position their portfolios over the next 6-12 months.

Following on from where I left off in Part One of this blog, which looked at the evolution of social media in crisis management and five key steps to prepare your company before a crisis hits, today’s blog deals with strategies to help mitigate damage once an issue has hit.

In the world of issues and crisis management, today’s landscape is dramatically different to that of just a few years ago. Today we are living in a society of digitally enabled, always-on, constantly connected consumers with a multitude of smart devices at their fingertips.

CEO and Managing Director at Island Pharmaceuticals Dr David Foster, Executive Chairman Dr Paul MacLeman, and Infectious Disease expert Prof Stephen Thomas MD discuss the most current understanding of the impact of dengue fever on the global community, the pace of growth in the ASEAN region and the changing battle against dengue in light of climate change and COVID-19.

End of Financial Year is a great time for investors to take stock and plan for the coming 12 months.

IR Department Account Director Juliana Roadley speaks to Morgans Reynolds Securities Private Client Adviser Patricia Tsicalas about the year that was 2021, as well as what to expect and how to prepare for the year ahead – covering one of the hottest topics going at the moment, the Australian Government’s upcoming changes to superannuation.

The Australasian Investor Relations Association's (AIRA) annual conference is a great place to hear new ideas, exchange views, and reconnect with colleagues.

IR Department's Account Director, Juliana Roadley, attended this year’s conference in person. Here are her three clear takeaways:

A media landscape dominated by digital is characterised by a lot of space, a lot of noise, and a lot of competition for air time. It’s tempting to consider paying for a headline… but is the cost worth it? We share our experience.  

We came across this insightful piece by IRM that covers the social media strategy must haves. 

The "No-Nonsense Guide to Building a Social Media Strategy" covers defining your social media goals and it's audience and how to engage so your strategy is doing more than just making noise. 

March 8th is International Women's Day and in 2021, the theme is #GenerationEquality. 

Equality is an important topic for us at IR Department. We work hard to be fair and equal across genders and races, in finding opportunities for our people and striving to win share of voice for our clients, who are often smaller fish, swimming in a sea of salmon and sharks.

On this #IWD2021, a few of our own brilliant women took a moment to share a quote an inspirational woman in their lives. We hope you enjoy the collection! 

Thanks to all those presenters and investors who made time to attend IRD Invest, IR Department’s virtual investor conference on 29 July 2020.

This year we've decided to reflect on the year but also look at the positive things that are coming up. Each of the team reflect on one thing they've learnt in 2020, what they are looking forward to the most over the Christmas period and the podcast or book that got them through the year!

We hope you enjoy, and Merry Christmas from the IR Department team! 

On 14 October 2020, Tesserent CEO, Julian Challingsworth presented at IR Department’s virtual investor conference, IRD Invest, an event designed to bring investors directly to the CEOs of emerging ASX listed companies.

On 14 October 2020, Jaxsta CEO and co-founder, Jacqui Louez Schoorl and Jaxsta CFO, Company Secretary and Executive Director Jorge Nigaglioni, presented at IR Department’s virtual investor conference, IRD Invest, an event designed to bring investors directly to the CEOs of emerging ASX listed companies.

Openpay Group Ltd (ASX: OPY) is a well-established player in the fast-growing global market for ‘Buy now pay later’ (BNPL) payment solutions. Openpay partners with merchants to provide BNPL repayment plans to customers instore, in-app and online.

On 14 October 2020, Oventus CEO, Dr Chris Hart, presented at IR Department’s virtual investor conference, IRD Invest, an event designed to bring investors directly to the CEOs of emerging ASX listed companies.

Our client, ASX-listed oncology company Kazia Therapeutics Ltd (ASX: KZA; NASDAQ: KZIA, has had a huge few months, including the achievement of significant milestones for lead drug candidate, paxalisib.

We're all starting to think about AGMs (in fact, the IR Department team has already supported clients through a few! As companies are often running virtual AGMs for the first time this year, our friends at IRM have put together some thoughts on the corporate website can be a great tool to support shareholders with understanding how to join and vote. Thanks to the team at IRM for allowing us to share this post.

According to Barrack Broking, these changes have contributed to a significant shift in the insurance market’s approach to Directors & Officers Insurance, and now now more than ever, companies need to demonstrate good company structure, risk management framework and diligent management.

This is the second article in a two-part series, written by our Communications Director, Cherie Hartley.

In part one, we covered the definition of a crisis and shared the example of a company which turned a looming crisis into an opportunity. Here in part two, we get into the nuts and bolts of how to effectively plan for a corporate crisis and how to prepare your team on how to respond effectively, before the need arises.

This is the first article in a two-part series, authored by our Communications Director, Cherie Hartley. In part one, Cherie describes the definition of a crisis; key considerations in crisis comms and highlights one company that pivoted its strategic offering during the COVID-19 outbreak to turn a major potential revenue downturn into an opportunity.

IR Department's Lauren Byrne, Junior Account Executive, discusses the struggles of isolation in a time of crisis and how to deal with it. Focusing on physical and mental health as well as maintaining a healthy work/life balance, she gives her tips on how to stay healthy while being isolated and away from regular routine. 

There are so many things on the internet these days. Everyone is pushing their own agenda, opinion, etsy store or dog video, so in a sea of endless content, how do you make your message standout from the crowd?

The IR Department team travelled to Auckland this week as a sponsor of the inaugural ANZLF Trans-Tasman Innovation and Growth Awards.

In the second part of this series, our Managing Director, Jane Lowe shares more of her key tips to help you make the best of your investor presentation and achieving all-important cut though with your investor audience.

The annual Bioshares Biotech Summit – a leading life sciences investment conference – was held in Queenstown, New Zealand on Friday, July 26 to Saturday, July 27.

Investor meetings are a crucial part of the communications strategy for every ASX-listed company, whether it is to update existing investors on your corporate progress, meet new investors that you can potentially add to your register or a deal roadshow for a capital raise.

IR Department is proud to announce our partnership with the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF) Trans-Tasman Innovation & Growth Awards.

This month, the IR Department team worked on a media campaign for our client, Kazia Therapeutics, to mark World Brain Tumour Day.

In the latest in our series on female leaders, IR Department Account Director Gabriella Hold sat down with leading US entrepreneur, Kay Koplovitz. Kay is the first woman ever to head a television network as the founder and former CEO of USA Networks. Kay also created the business model for cable networks by introducing the concept of two revenue streams: licensing and advertising. Since 2000, she has been the Chairman of Springboard Enterprises: a non-profit organisation that fosters venture capital investments in women-led high growth companies. In this interview, Kay spoke about her experiences as a cable network pioneer and her advice for female and male entrepreneurs. 

This World Ovarian Cancer Day, we are calling for greater awareness of one of the deadliest women’s cancers worldwide.

The team at IR Department decided to stretch out its spotlight on inspiring female leaders past the month of March.  Leading into the Easter long weekend, we wanted to share an inspiring read – an interview with our client, Sam Cobb, who is founding CEO of AdAlta Ltd and alumni of the SBE Australia program.

“The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

Read - Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, by Dr Joe Dispenza

Fave Christmas tradition: 

This little tradition comes from my father’s side of the family which is… MINCE PIES!! My dad used to bake these with his mother in the winter months in England and they would keep their bellies warm before/during/after Christmas dinner or any other time they could sneak one out of the oven. Now during the silly season my two siblings, my father and I have a mince pie bake off every year which means we are never short of mince pies however always short on space for any other food. Of course, this tradition is never complete without t

Best holiday movie: Love Actually

Without a doubt one of the best Christmas classics of all time and guaranteed to get you into the holiday spirit. It’s a favourite tradition of mine to watch this every year, and somehow it always manages to bring a tear and a smile simultaneously! Christmas cheer and cheesiness all mixed into one.

Our present to you

We have had an outstanding year at IR Department.  We’ve worked with fantastic clients, we’ve had loads of new opportunities and have witnessed some great successes – from IPOs to rising share prices, to successful capital raises and media/comms outcomes.  It’s been pretty good all-round.

When used appropriately, social media can be an important communication channel for every business, and small caps are no exception.

We find that only a handful of our clients are still resistant to using social media; most conversations are centred around which platforms they should be on and how they could be better using them.

What is a quarterly report? Why do some companies produce a quarterly report and not others? How should investors interpret a quarterly report?

IR Department’s Investor Relations Specialist Glen Zurcher sat down with Tom Piotrowski recently to discuss quarterly reporting – technically referred to as an Appendix 4C / Appendix 5B - as part of the CommSec Executive Series.

Elementum Advisory Principal Philippa Lewis works predominantly with emerging Australian companies to build an investor-ready business.

In this interview with Health Invest TV, Phillipa talks to IR Department Managing Director Jane Lowe about effective business models, the traps she frequently sees young companies falling into, and the exciting start-ups she's working with right now.

Sleep apnoea is a potentially serious condition but only one in five patients are in care.

Oventus (ASX:OVN) is innovating sleep apnoea care with its patented airway design that creates a 'second nose'. Using CAD software to create a 3D drawing of the patient’s mouth and bite, Oventus uses 3D printing technology to manufacture these custom-made medical-grade mouthguards from titanium. 

Half yearly reporting season for ASX listed companies with a 30 June year end has just finished up. For IR Department, the start of March typically signals the time when our smaller ASX listed company clients would want to roadshow.  Some companies, however, will be deliberating over how important roadshows are.

Around 22,000 people attended the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference 2018 in San Francisco.

Australian broker Paul Kelly has attended the conference for the past five years. Speaking to Health Invest TV in an interview with IR Department's Managing Director, Jane Lowe, Paul gives you a first-hand account of what happens over the week.

LinkedIn plays a pivotal role in our communication strategies because it’s the biggest B2B social marketing platform out there.

Whether or not you should be using LinkedIn is a subject for another day – right now we just want to tell you about two new features that small to mid capped companies should care about.

There is a reason ‘small cap’ specialists are engaged to invest in small cap stocks - there are some key areas of focus for small stock investing that are often taken for granted in large cap investing.

IR Department senior consultant John Burgess has almost 20 years’ experience as an analyst across a range of sectors and companies. John explores three key focus areas of analysis that differ between small and large cap stocks. If you're a small company, it pays to bear these in mind when undertaking investor relations. 

In this episode of Swings & Roundabouts, Marc Kennis of TMT Analytics and Stuart Roberts of NDF Research explore the wide-sweeping implications of MiFID II, particularly for company research.

Today on Swings and Roundabouts, David Langford, Managing Director and Chief Investment Analyst with Long Lake Research speaks with Jane Lowe about contrarian investing and the need for Australian companies to innovate or get left behind. 

Today on Swings and Roundabouts, Matt Felsman, Client Advisor with APP Securities speaks with Jane Lowe about reporting season.  

IR Department is pleased to announce a new regular digital radio show, Swings and Roundabouts. 

If you're marketing your business to funds, knowing what portfolio managers want to see and hear from you is of great importance.

Interesting piece from Australian Institute of Company Directors today - an interview with David Gonski.  

How do fund managers make decisions about whether or not to buy your company's stock?
 

We've all read about them - scandals and examples of inappropriate conduct where CEOs (or other senior company members) were involved.  The question is, in a situation where the behaviour is inappropriate, but is not illegal, what is the right way to handle it?  And what are the consequences of mismanagement?
 

Tim Eisenhauer, Managing Director of OnMarket BookBuilds recently published this article on LinkedIn which we thought might be of interest to the IR Department audience.

Whether we like it or not, social media has become an area that listed companies need to know about.  The fact is, even if you're not actively participating in social media, if you're a listed company, people are most likely talking about you in the social media space.

In June 2015, we managed to secure an invitation to an exclusive and entertaining investor forum, hosted by Livewire – a room packed with investors gathered to see industry experts engage in lively debate around topical investment themes.

Annual reports are usually long documents – how can you avoid your key points from getting lost in the detail?

A fascinating look into how our every day devices will be used to innovate in medicine and keep us healthier. 

Imagine a future where the whole world has access to electricity 24 / 7?  If we have electricity, we can use it to purify water, to help with food production, power basic fundamentals, and... to learn.