The listed companies ought to understand their shareholders to meet the growing requirements of local and international investors, according to a top official of Qatari bourse.
“The art of describing your company to investors is exactly that and we are encouraging you all to move away from the more simplified messages and be as sophisticated as possible with your communication,” Qatar Exchange CEO Rashid bin Ali al-Mansoori said.
Speaking at the “Success in Digital IR” workshop and the 4th annual KWD Webranking Survey awards for the best websites in the Mena (Middle East and North Africa) region, he said sound investor relations (IR) and increasingly digital IR practices are the essence of the communication process and may well be one of factors that make one company stand out.
The workshop was opened by Abdul Aziz al-Emadi, director of listing department. Across the region one common obligation for listed companies is to provide timely information of a material nature to all shareholders, he said.
The development of the Internet (and social media offshoots) has given companies a practical way to manage such information provision, according to him.
“The role of the company website therefore goes beyond just meeting regulatory requirements and is often the first point of contact between investors and companies,” he said.
As standards have risen, so have investor demands and the quality of the information provision on an IR website is a strong guide to the attitude of the listed company to transparency and disclosure and its role as a listed company.
“The ultimate benefit is a more transparent company communication process an increased investor pool and for some the opportunity to increase the share price through this greater understanding,” he said.
The QE had previously identified two areas for immediate focus in 2012 in the area of investor relations such as building a dedicated IR Department and developing a dedicated IR website.