On Thursday September 19 a broad range of IR professionals joined the annual DIRFdagen in the center of Copenhagen, both in Scandic Spectrum and online. The agenda of the day – besides networking – was the chance to listen to a number of topics and inputs on what’s going on in the IR field right now and which trends, rules and regulations that will emerge in the coming years and that companies need to prepare for.
If you missed out, you can sign in and see all the sessions right here:
Link to on-demand streaming from DIRFdagen 2024
Streaming code: DD24
See the programme for the day here: conference site
FULL CONFERENCE PROGRAMME or see our conference site with all relevant information
| Time | Subject | Speakers | Description |
| 09.00 | Welcome | Rachel Curtis Gravesen, Moderator Claus Ingar Jensen, DIRF Chairman | Welcome |
| 09.10-10.00 | Global economic outlook for 2025 | Helge J. Pedersen, Group Chief Economist, Nordea | An outlook on growth, inflation, financial markets, world trade etc. considering the new geopolitical situation. |
| 10.00- 10.30 | Higher interest rates and more difficult access to capital markets – views and consequences | Jacob Kruse, Equity Research Analyst, Autonomous Research Rune Sandager, Head of Investor Relations, GN Store Nord | Panel on the high leverage and risk assessment from analysts’ point of view and investor side on working capital, dividends and valuation. How much should we worry about market spooks (ie summer US recession fears) and how can IR professionals best navigate the medium term global financial environment? |
| 10.30 | Coffee break | ||
| 11.00-11.45 | Break-out sessions | Launch of the 2024 ESG100 results Simon Taylor, Senior Director & Co-founder, Position Green Mastering the Capital Markets Day: Strategies for Success & Introduction to courses from Euronext Academy Mathias Bendixen, Nordic Sales Manager, Euronext Corp. Services Daniela Biagi, Head of Euronext Academy | What lessons can be drawn for IR from the first ESRS sustainability statements that have been published? In this session, Position Green will be sharing best practice insights to implement in your first CSRD-compliant report. Using data from the 2024 ESG100 study of the 100 largest listed companies in the EU, they will also provide an assessment of the current gaps in ESRS readiness. As an IR professional, you seek effective strategies to engage investors, build trust, and enhance shareholder value. A successful Capital Markets Day (CMD) is essential in achieving these objectives. This in-depth study of CMD best practices from over 160 European listed companies offers a detailed roadmap to refine your approach. |
| 11.45-12.15 | Practical implementation of AI tools | Nicolaj Gudbergsen, Senior VP, Co-Head of Tech Strategy & Acc., Technology & Services, Danske Bank Karen Bodner, Head Global IR Advisory, BNY Mellon Christopher Blake, Executive Director, Product Management, S&P Global | How far is AI implemented in business processes and how can it be used to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of financial communication and other aspects of IR work. How to address the challenges, learnings and best practice of implementing AI tools to support IR. |
| 12.15 | Lunch | ||
| 13.00-13.30 | “What does good IR look like” | Session putting views on professional IR and best practice in focus whether you represent a corporation with limited resources or one of the big ones. | |
| 13.30-14.00 | Strategy considerations in difficult situations | Peter Kondrup, VP Investor Relations, Carlsberg Claus I. Jensen, Head of IR, Danske Bank Cristina Rønde Hefting, Sr. Director, Head of Strategy & IR, B&O | Focus on considerations and take-aways seen through IR eyes in connection with the announcement of strategy changes (what happened to the share price) and the broad angle of communication. |
| 14.00-14.30 | Break-out sessions | Enhancing stakeholder engagement through effective online communication in the age of CSRD Erwin Groenendal, Tangelo Software Decoding AI: How Buy-Side Insights Are Shaping the Future of Investor Relations Christopher Blake, Executive Director, Product Management, S&P Global | With the CSRD and ESRS reshaping corporate transparency, annual reports must evolve. This presentation explores how to effectively communicate sustainability efforts through the online channel, moving beyond static PDFs to dynamic, web-based reporting. Learn how to enhance transparency and build stronger stakeholder relationships in the digital age. For years the buy-side has leveraged AI and natural language processing to extract insights from the language used by issuers. This session will cover how investors have been using these tools in the investment process and what that means for IR teams |
| 14.30 | Coffee break | ||
| 15.00-15.30 | CSRD reporting | Kristian Koktvedgaard, DI and EFRAG Sustainability Reporting Board Member Hamsa Ijaz, ESG Analyst, Equity Research, Danske Bank Erik Eliasson, Head of Resp. Investments, Danske Bank Asset Man. | Latest understanding of ESG principles and legislation and how to apply ESG best practice into the IR role. |
| 15.30- 16.00 | Understanding how hedge funds operates and their role in capital markets | Robert Fairbairn, Equity Market Specialist, Bloomberg | Many of us have a lot of interaction with hedge funds, and for the best dialogue, it is important to understand how they think and operate. What are the important learnings for IR. |
| 16.00-16.30 | If you had to build IR from scratch, how would you do it? | Sarah Russel Spray, prev. Head of IR at APM – US based (virtual participation) Bilal Aziz, Vice President, Head of IR & Treasury, Pandora – UK based Michael Nass Nielsen, Head of IR hos Svitzer | Creating a fit for purpose IR function – depending on your company and the resources available (small, midcap, large cap) what must have, what is nice to have and what will make investors and analysts really understand your business and want to interact. What really worked and with the benefit of hindsight, what would you have done differently. |
| 16.30- | Take-aways from the day – thank you for joining us | Rachel Curtis Gravesen | |
| DRINKS RECEPTION – NETWORKING | |||
Pictures from DIRFdagen 2024 will follow asap
