IR professionals converge on New York City for 19th annual IR Magazine Awards - US

NEW YORK, March 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Covidien has made it another year to remember after winning the grand prix for best overall IR by a large-cap company for the fourth year in a row at the IR Magazine Awards – US 2014. The medical equipment maker's head of IR, Cole Lannum, also picked up his fourth consecutive award for best IRO at a large cap. For the full list of all winners, please see below.

Tech giant Intel also did well, coming away from the evening with two titles to its name, including the award for the best use of technology for IR. Fellow large-cap competitor Honeywell picked up three awards from its three short lists, with the firm's David Anderson holding onto his title for best IR by a CFO at a large-cap company.

Retail group L Brands cemented its place in the US Top 100 this year, along with scooping the mid-cap grand prix for the best overall investor relations program, with CFO Stuart Burgdoerfer receiving praise for his role in the company's IR program.

Meanwhile, small-cap company Wright Medical Group climbed more than 100 places in the US Top 100 to also rank among the top 10 companies in the country for IR. The medical device firm's head of IR, Julie Tracy, was named the best IRO at a small-cap company while also steering her firm to the small-cap grand prix for best overall IR program.

The awards ceremony, now in its 19th year, was hosted by David Brancaccio, host and senior editor of American Public Media's Marketplace Morning Report, and saw more than 400 members of the US IR community gather at New York's Cipriani Wall Street.

IR Magazine Awards – US 2014 winners
Lifetime achievement: Barbara Gasper
Grand prix for best overall investor relations program – large cap: Covidien
Grand prix for best overall investor relations program – mid-cap: L Brands
Grand prix for best overall investor relations program – small cap: Wright Medical Group
Best investor relations officer – large cap: Cole Lannum – Covidien
Best investor relations officer – mid-cap: Ken Brause & Barbara Callahan – CIT Group
Best investor relations officer – small cap: Julie Tracy – Wright Medical Group
Best IR by a CEO or chairman – large cap: Jose Almeida – Covidien
Best IR by a CEO or chairman – mid-cap: Paul Bisaro – Actavis (joint winner)
                                                             Emanuel Chirico – PVH Corp (joint winner)
Best IR by a CEO or chairman – small cap: Robert Palmisano – Wright Medical Group
Best IR by a CFO – large cap: David Anderson – Honeywell
Best IR by a CFO – mid-cap: Stuart Burgdoerfer – L Brands
Best IR by a CFO – small cap: John Steele – Werner Enterprises
Best financial reporting: Honeywell
Best use of technology for investor relations: Intel
Best use of social media: Starbucks
Best investment community meetings: Covidien
Best corporate governance: Danaher
Most progress in investor relations: Pentair
Best sustainability practice: NextEra Energy
Best investor relations during a corporate transaction: Covidien
Best crisis management: Allscripts Healthcare Solutions
Best investor relations for an IPO: Gigamon
Best investor relations by an Asia-Pacific company in the US market: Tencent Holdings (China)
Best investor relations by a European company in the US market: NXP Semiconductors (Netherlands)
Best investor relations by a Latin American company in the US market: MercadoLibre (Argentina)

Best in sector
Chemicals: Praxair
Consumer goods: The Coca-Cola Company
Consumer services & business services: Ryder System
Diversified industrials : Honeywell
Finance & insurance: American Express
Healthcare: Covidien
Leisure, media & restaurants: Starbucks
Metals & mining: United States Steel
Oil & gas: Anadarko Petroleum
Pharmaceuticals & biotech: Johnson & Johnson
Real estate: Simon Property Group
Retail: L Brands
Technology: Intel
Transport: Kansas City Southern
Utilities: NextEra Energy

This event was sponsored by American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Blender Media, Bloomberg, BNY Mellon, Business Wire, Computershare Georgeson, Corbin Perception, Cowen and Company, DG3, Dix & Eaton, EY, Eisenman Associates, Global IR Forum, Innisfree, Ipreo, Issuer Advisory Group, MacKenzie Partners, Marketwired, MBS Value Partners, Mizuho Securities, NASDAQ OMX, Q4 Web Systems, RR Donnelly, TD Bank, theIRapp, UBS and Wells Fargo.

About the awards
The winners of the IR Magazine Awards – US 2014 were determined by an independent survey of more than 800 analysts and investors based throughout the US. Each was asked to vote for the company they think provides the best IR service in each awards category.  Quotes from and views of analysts and investors about the award-winning companies and their IR programs, along with the full results and methodology for determining the rankings, can be found in the IR Magazine Investor Perception Study – US 2014, which will be published in April 2014. The study also profiles each award-winning company in the region and lists the other ranked firms mentioned in IR Magazine's survey.

To order a copy of the IR Magazine Investor Perception Study – US 2014, please contact Andrea Pion at [email protected].

About IR Magazine
For more than 25 years, IR Magazine has remained the only monthly global publication that focuses on the interactions between companies and their investors. IR Magazine helps investor relations professionals achieve more in their IR programs, benchmark their efforts and connect to the global IR community. IR Magazine also hosts events such as awards, think tanks and conferences around the world. To learn more, please visit us online at www.irmagazine.com, on Twitter @IRMagazine and via our LinkedIn group IR Magazine Leaders.

Media contacts:
Renee Walton       
Managing director, North America
IR Magazine
[email protected] 
+1 917 476 2242

Amy McGahan
Senior vice president
Dix & Eaton
[email protected] 
+1 216 241 3027

SOURCE IR Magazine