Skip to main content

IRO Knowledge

What does it mean to be an exceptional investor relations officer, or IRO? NIRI can tell you – it’s literally “in the book.”

The Investor Relations Body of Knowledge

In 2013, a committee of senior NIRI members seeking to elevate and advance the practice of investor relations identified 10 core competencies or disciplines essential for IR success. These 10 competencies, as well as key IR principles, strategies and practices, are outlined in The Investor Relations Body of Knowledge, a reference book written by IR professionals for IR professionals. This book and/or the IR Competency SuiteTM online learning courses are helpful resources when preparing for NIRI’s Investor Relations Charter (IRC) exam.

Among the topics covered in this book are:

  • IR strategy formulation: How you evaluate a company’s financial fundamentals, business model, brand and reputation with a view to developing relevant targeting, communication and marketing strategies to help achieve fair valuation.
  • IR planning, implementation and measurement: What are the “nuts and bolts” and day-to-day activities of an IR program? How do you execute your communications and targeting strategies, report earnings, support relevant regulatory filings, manage service providers, measure IR program performance and plan for crises?
  • Message development: This goes beyond how to write clear, relevant and authentic messages to discuss how to shape and evolve your messaging for multiple audiences that may have differing perceptions and depending on the situation’s dynamics.
  • Marketing and outreach: How do you identify key audiences, build relationships with targeted investors and analysts, and measure the results of your efforts?
  • Financial reporting and analysis: Understanding financial forecasting and modeling, as well as the reporting and disclosure process, is a baseline skill set for any successful IRO.
  • Business insight: To become the go-to source for both investors and management, IROs must understand and articulate their own company’s business model and results in context of the broader trends and issues affecting their business, industry and competitive environment.
  • Strategic counsel and collaboration: How do you demonstrate your value and become a strategic advisor to the C-suite, as well as effectively collaborate with internal business partners in Law, Accounting, Finance, Corporate Communications and Marketing?
  • Capital markets and capital structure: What affects your stock’s day-to-day trading? How do market intelligence and capital markets trends help inform your company’s capital structure and capital allocation decisions, as well as the related implications for equity and debt offerings?
  • Regulatory compliance: Understand the regulatory and governance requirements affecting company disclosure and your role on the Disclosure Committee.
  • Corporate governance: Gain perspective on the intersection of corporate governance and investor relations, including sharing investor insights with management and the board, as well as facilitating discussions with shareholders and proxy advisors during proxy season.

To learn more about NIRI’s Investor Relations Charter (IRC), visit the NIRI website.