Investor Relations Conference 2023

Partner – Head of Advisory & Sustainability, Investor Update

Andrew joined Investor Update in November 2020 after spending over 25 years in Investment Banking. His experience spans fund management, equity research, specialist sales, equity trading, corporate broking, capital raising and corporate advisory work.

He started his career at Mobil Oil before working as a Portfolio Manager at Barings focusing on the Natural Resources and Utilities sectors. Andrew then moved into Oil & Gas Equity Analysis at Bank of America and Commerzbank before being appointed Energy Industry Specialist in the top ranked Energy team at Lehman Brothers. He took the same post at Barclays where he spent 9 years and led the Industry Specialists Team as a Managing Director, before moving to Macquarie to perform the same roles. Andrew has since worked with and advised the senior management and investor relations of many public and private Energy corporates with a focus on Investor Engagement and ESG. He has a masters in Investment Analysis and is a member of the CFA.

Global Head of Geopolitical Risk, HSBC

Dr. Helen Belopolsky is the Global Head of Geopolitical Risk at HSBC and advisor to the Management Board. She holds a doctorate in international relations from the University of Oxford focussing on Russian foreign policy, and is a published author. In her previous roles at HSBC she was focusing on analysis and intelligence concentrating on Middle East and North Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. Prior to joining HSBC, she spent a number of years working in public safety and security functions within the Government of Canada. She was responsible for providing strategic international analysis to the Canadian Prime Minister and she became the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister at the Privy Council Office of Canada concerning Russia and Central Asia. Helen has also deployed to Afghanistan to conduct political assessments on behalf of Task Force Kandaharand of the Canadian military and has worked for the Canadian Embassy in Moscow. Furthermore she also spent five months as a special advisor to the commanding general of the 10th Mountain Division in the U.S. military.

Managing Director, Morrow Sodali

Andrea is a Managing Director at Morrow Sodali and a member of the firm’s Senior Leadership Team. She and her team advise Germanic clients on routine ESG, engagement, proxy solicitation, contested situation and M&A.

With more than 25 years of experience in the field, Andrea has guided companies through many governance and takeover challenges, including contentious director elections and shareholder proposals, proxy contests, tender offers, and other corporate control matters.

President IR Club Schweiz

Lorna Davie is the President of the IR Club Switzerland and is responsible for working together with the Board Members across all areas including Expanding the Membership, Professional Development, Networking, Communication and overall collaboration with Partners and other Global IR Associations.

She was formerly a Director, Investor Relations and prior to that she worked in the Investment Banking Division, spanning over 24 years at Credit Suisse.

Financial Analyst, Vontobel

Michael Foeth started his career as a financial analyst in November 2000 in the brokerage department of Lombard Odier which was acquired by Vontobel in 2006. He has covered Swiss-listed companies for over 20 years with a focus on technology and business services. He was involved in numerous IPOs on the Swiss market. From 1999-2005 he lectured science & technology at the University of Geneva. Michael Foeth holds a master degree in Physics from the University of Geneva, a PhD in Physics from the EPFL and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Senior Reporter, IR Magazine

Tim rejoined the publication in 2019 after two years working as a freelance writer for a range of international clients, including the Economist Intelligence Unit. Previously, he was editor of IR Magazine between 2013-2017. He has also written for Corporate Secretary, IR Magazine’s sister publication, and CorpComms, the UK-based magazine for corporate communications professionals.

Partner, EY Fabernovel

Jean-Christophe is a partner at EY Fabernovel, a full-stack digital agency which counts 350 employees and was acquired by EY in July 2022. With over 25 years of experience, he specializes in analyzing the digital revolution’s impact on corporate strategy and valuation.

With a deep understanding of the business world, financial markets, and venture capital, as well as a passion for innovation, Jean-Christophe advises business leaders in defining, steering, and valuing their transformation strategies, particularly those centered around emerging technologies like AI, Web3, Blockchain and immersive technologies/Metaverse.

A speaker on Generative AI, he collaborates with major corporations, shaping their Generative AI strategies, from vision, and use cases prioritization to deployment roadmaps and stakeholder communication and engagement. Jean Christophe is familiar with the investor relations and capital markets worlds as he has had a distinguished career in Equity Research. He started his carrier and spent 20 years at Exane (that was later gradually acquired by BNP Paribas) during which he became a top-ranked analyst in technology sectors and contributed to Exane BNP Paribas becoming the N°1 Equity Research House in Europe as Deputy Head of Equity Research and Head of European Midcaps.

He remains connected to capital markets as he established a differentiated financial communication practice at Fabernovel in 2017 and works with IR teams on several topics : perception surveys, strategic vision and equity story, new KPIs and valuation frameworks, investor days organization, new tools for IR and investor experience.

Vice President, ESG & Climate Corporate Sales EMEA, MSCI

Jasmine Mehta leads MSCI’s ESG & Climate business development with corporates and advisors in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). With a focus on market penetration, Jasmine has developed go to market strategies for MSCI’s latest and fastest growing client segment.

Jasmine has been with MSCI’S ESG & Climate business for almost a decade, and in her erstwhile role, she lead MSCI’s ESG Issuer Relations & Communications efforts in EMEA. She engaged corporate boards to educate them on their MSCI ESG assessments and raised standards for sustainability disclosures. Jasmine is MSCI’s global ambassador in the corporate community through various speaking engagements and board-level educative programs.

Jasmine has been recognised for her leadership & contributions to the field of sustainability by multiple Indian and global media outlets. She holds a Master’s degree in international Strategy and Diplomacy from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Master’s degree in Capital Markets, Regulation and Compliance from the ICMA Centre, University of Reading, UK.

Head Responsible Investment, Baloise Asset Management

Agnes Neher is Head of Responsible Investment at Baloise Asset Management. In her role, she is further expanding responsible investment in asset management across all asset classes and deepening the understanding and concept of responsible investment. Baloise Asset Management is responsible for managing the Baloise Group's assets on the one hand and third-party assets on the other hand. Agnes Neher previously worked at Bank J. Safra Sarasin as an ESG analyst and Corporate Sustainability Manager.

Agnes Neher completed her doctorate at the German University of Hohenheim on the materiality of non-financial risks in the financial markets. Her focus was on social reporting by institutional investors, the relationship between ESG ratings and government bond yields, and the regulation of responsible investment in the EU.

Agnes Neher holds a Diploma in Economics from the University of Tübingen. She also holds an MSc in Philosophy of Social Sciences from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences. Agnes Neher is a lecturer in sustainable finance at AZEK, the Swiss Training Center for Investment Professionals.

Head of Equities ZKB Asset Management, Vice-President Swiss Sustainable Finance, Zürcher Kantonalbank

René Nicolodi is the head of Equities in Asset Management of Zürcher Kantonalbank and deputy head of Asset Management. After starting his career at Swiss Bank Corporation and UBS, he held several positions in Investment Banking and Asset Management at Zürcher Kantonalbank prior to his current function.

René received his Ph.D. in the area of 'Sustainable Pension Fund Engagement' from the University of Zurich, and since 2009 has been a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA). In 2022 he completed a Master of Digital Transformation at Teesside University / Hyper Island.

In addition to his role at ZKB, René is a lecturer on asset management and sustainable finance topics at the University of Zurich, at the Swiss Training Centre for Investment Professionals (AZEK) and the International Management Institute (MIM) in Kiev. Since 2010 René represents the Swiss Financial Analysts Association in the ESG Commission of the European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies (EFFAS).

Head SIX Swiss Exchange

Christian Reuss is Head SIX Swiss Exchange and a member of the management committee of the business unit Exchanges at SIX. Christian is also a Board member at Ultumus (a SIX company) and holds a group-wide mandate in ESG for SIX as a Financial Market Infrastructure (FMI). Earlier roles at SIX include Head Cash Markets SIX Swiss Exchange and Head Department Sales & Product Management (including Marketing) for SIX Swiss Exchange. From June 2009 until June 2013, he was CEO of Scoach (by SIX and Deutsche Börse). From 2002 to 2009 Christian Reuss worked in several locations for Goldman Sachs, ultimately as Executive Director with pan-European responsibility in the Private Investor Products Group. Christian Reuss has a degree in business administration from Frankfurt’s Johann Wolfgang Goethe University and another Master of Business Administration from the Henry B. Tippie School of Management at the University of Iowa. He is a CFA charterholder and completed Executive Management Programs at Harvard Business School and at the IMD.

Executive Vice Chairman, Rothschild & Co Investor Advisory

Stephen is the Executive Vice Chairman of Rothshild & Co’s Investor Advisory business.  The firm advises a wide range of listed and private companies around the world on their engagement with the capital markets - ongoing in secondary markets; during corporate transactions such as M&A; raising both equity and debt finance; and specific situations including activism, governance, stewardship and ESG.

Head Listing & Enforcement, SIX Exchange Regulation AG

Sabir Sheikh is a proven expert in the Swiss financial market and corresponding regulation. He has been working at the Swiss stock exchange SIX for several years. As Head Listing & Enforcement and member of the Management Committee of SIX Exchange Regulation AG, he is responsible in particular for the admission of all securities to trading (incl. IPOs), the Prospectus Office and the enforcement of regulations.

After his admission to the bar in 2003, Sabir Sheikh worked for several years as an attorney-at-law specialising in financial market and insurance law, anti-money laundering law and international arbitration at MME Legal ¦ Tax ¦ Compliance in Zurich. Subsequently, he worked as Head

Legal at UBS Asset Management AG from 2008 to 2016 and was, among others, a member of the Risk & Compliance Committee.

Sabir Sheikh also acts as an independent member of various board of directors.

Head of Equity Sales Europe, SIX Swiss Exchange

Adam Sherlock is Head of Equity Sales Europe at SIX Swiss Exchange and has worked in sales roles for multiple leading European Exchanges over the last 8 years.

He joined SIX team in early 2021, looking after equity sales for European clients, and new member prospects in the EMEA region.

Head Issuer Relations, SIX Swiss Exchange

Before taking on the role of Head Issuer Relations at SIX Swiss Exchange in September 2022, Vera Sokulskyj worked for listed companies in Austria and Switzerland for over 16 years. She held positions in corporate accounting, investor relations and sustainability and has broad experience in these areas.

Team Lead, Perception Analytics, S&P Global

Since joining S&P Global, Kelly has led project teams across software solutions and research in both North America and Europe. Kelly plays a key role in relationships with Perception clients across the globe, with broad experience across industries and market caps and a particular focus on Sustainability topics. She works with a variety of stakeholders to design and conduct in-depth qualitative research that is used by IR and management teams to shape corporate strategy and messaging and inform decision making. In addition to working with global clients that include many of the world’s best-known brands, Kelly has also participated in webinars and panels at industry conferences, presenting on research findings and best practices. As an active leader in S&P Global’s Women’s Initiative for Networking and Success (WINS), she is passionate about advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Kelly holds a Master of Science degree in International Development from the University of Edinburgh and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Regional Director DACH, Clarity AI

Andri Stocker is Clarity AI's Regional Director in the DACH region with more than 7 years of experience in the sustainability space.

Prior to joining Clarity AI he successfully led a Venture Capital backed service & consulting business, working with various international brands on developing, implementing and measuring sustainable supply chains. Andri has a profound understanding of supply chain regulations as well as data generation along supply chains.

With his prior roles at German Growth Startup Adtelligence (WEC Technology Pioneer 2014), Deutsche Bank and Julius Bär he combines a sustainability-driven mindset with both a deep technological understanding of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence as well as a profound knowledge of the financial industry.

These experiences today allow him to support Asset Managers, Private Banks, Pension Funds and Insurances in both developing and implementing sustainability strategies with the support of Artificial Intelligence.

Andri holds an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain.

Senior Economist and Strategist, BNY Mellon Investment Management

Sebastian Vismara is a Senior Global Economist and Strategist in the Global Economics and Investment Strategy team at BNY Mellon Investment Management. His responsibilities include conducting analysis on the global economy, financial markets and investment implications, with a particular focus on Europe. Prior to this role, Sebastian spent several years at the Bank of England working on global macroeconomic analysis and financial market research. In his last role he provided macro financial research support for Governor Carney's IMF, G20, G7 and BIS meetings. A native of Italy, Sebastian studied at the London School of Economics in the UK.

Partner, FGS Global (Europe)

From the Frankfurt office, Robert Vollrath mainly advises companies on questions of financial communication and investor relations, including corporate governance. Before joining FGS Global, he was Deputy Head of Investor Relations at Deutsche Bank and issuer representative on the Executive Board of the German Investor Relations Association (DIRK). From 2001 to 2009, Robert worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company in Germany and New York. Subsequently, he was responsible for setting up the OTC Clearing business at Deutsche Börse Group. Robert holds a PhD from the European Business School in Oestrich-Winkel and a degree in Business Administration from WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management.

Deputy Head Corporate Disclosure, SIX Exchange Regulation AG

With a distinguished career spanning diverse legal roles, Matthias Weger currently serves as the Deputy Head of Corporate Disclosure at Six Exchange Regulation AG (SER) in Zurich, Switzerland. Since May 2019, he has played a crucial role in monitoring issuer compliance with stock exchange regulations and listing rules. Matthias Weger has been instrumental in establishing and enhancing SER's enforcement practices, ensuring professionalism and efficiency across the organization. His responsibilities encompass SER’s enforcement practice and the monitoring of obligations related to ad hoc publicity and management transactions.

Prior to his role at SER, Matthias Weger gained invaluable experience at LALIVE Rechtsanwälte in Geneva and Zurich, specializing in international arbitration and litigation.

Furthermore, Matthias Weger serves as a lecturer at ZHAW Zurich University for Applied Sciences, teaching public company law and consistently sharing his experience with the next generation.

Matthias Weger is multilingual, proficient in German, Italian, English, and Spanish. He has been trained in various jurisdictions, holding Master's Degrees in Spanish and Italian law, as well as an LL.M. in International Dispute Settlement from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) in collaboration with the University of Geneva.

Chief Financial Officer, Sika

Adrian Widmer is CFO of the Sika Group and Member of Group Management since 2014. He joined Sika in 2007 as Head Group Controlling and M&A. During the period 2000-2007 he held various positions at BASF/Degussa Construction Chemicals. First as Finance Director Business Line Flooring Europe and Manager Corporate Finance in Switzerland, then as CFO, and later General Manager for Construction Systems Germany/Austria/Switzerland. From 1995 to 2000 he held responsibilities related to M&A and market development at Textron in the USA, the UK and Switzerland. 1994-1995 he was a Business Analyst at Nordostschweizer Kraftwerke (NOK), Switzerland. Adrian is a Swiss citizen and holds a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Zurich. Next to his function as CFO of Sika, Adrian is a member of the Board of Directors at Sonova Holding AG, Switzerland.

Leading Global Headhunter in Corporate Affairs & Investor Relations, Broome Yasar

Oskar is regarded as the global leader in executive recruitment in investor relations and corporate communications.  With nearly 30 years’ experience at the coal face of the industry, he has helped appoint more than 500 senior investor relations and corporate communications professionals globally. Broome Yasar is now the go-to search company for senior IR and corporate affairs leadership roles globally.

Oskar is also a passionate advocate for the role of investor relations and the future of the profession.  As well we being the author of the ground-breaking, The Global IR Revolution Study, he is the author of two other studies, ‘From Investor Relations to Business Leadership – The pathway to CEO’, and ‘Key Building Blocks to becoming a standout IRO’, which showcases the significant transformation in the reputation of IR. He is also the author of the soon-to-be published book, ‘Stand Out or Stand Aside, the power of personal branding in the reputation industries’.