CIRI Announces the 2017 Recipients for the Award for Excellence and the Belle Mulligan Award for Leadership in Investor Relations

Chaya Cooperberg accepting CIRI's 2017 Award for Excellence in Investor Relations (Photo: Business Wire)

TORONTO--()--The Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI), Canada’s national association representing investor relations professionals, is pleased to announce that Chaya Cooperberg has been chosen as the 29th recipient of the Award for Excellence in Investor Relations and Isabelle Adjahi has been chosen as the eighth recipient of the Belle Mulligan Award for Leadership in Investor Relations. These individuals were honoured at CIRI’s 30th Annual Investor Relations Conference in Kelowna, British Columbia.

Award for Excellence in Investor Relations

The Award for Excellence in Investor Relations is given by CIRI to honour individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the investor relations profession and to the Institute.

Chaya Cooperberg is highly regarded in the investor relations profession and has been a significant contributor to CIRI and the issuer community as a member of the CIRI National Board and supporting Committees, former member of the CIRI Ontario Executive, frequent speaker and IR columnist for Listed Magazine.

“Chaya is extremely well regarded in the industry and has been lauded as generous with her time, highly conscientious and professional,” said Shirley Chénier, 2016 recipient of the Award of Excellence. “Through her regular involvement as a speaker for CIRI and IR columnist in Listed Magazine, she demonstrates her enthusiasm for the IR profession.”

Ms. Cooperberg is AmTrust Financial's Chief Communications Officer and Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs where she oversees the investor relations, public relations and employee communications programs for the company. She has experience in managing IR and corporate communications programs for publicly traded companies in the U.S. and Canada. Most recently, she was the Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications for Progressive Waste Solutions. Previous roles include Director, Investor Relations and Communications at Alderwoods Group and Director, Investor Relations at Descartes Systems Group. Ms. Cooperberg began her career in business journalism, working at publications such as Stockhouse.com, Investor's Digest of Canada, Canadian Business Magazine and GlobeInvestor. She is also the current IR columnist for Listed Magazine.

“I’m deeply honoured and humbled to be recognized among such a distinguished and esteemed list of past winners and trailblazers in the IR industry. I hope that as we all work to advance the profession, IR will continue to expand as a strategic corporate function and that our practitioners will have a seat at the executive table and, one day, at the boardroom table as well,” said Chaya Cooperberg

“Chaya has worked diligently to advance the practice of investor relations by educating the community through sharing her experience at events and writing thought-provoking columns for Listed Magazine. Recently, she led the update on CIRI’s Standards and Guidance for Disclosure and Model Disclosure Policy making it a more robust resource aimed at raising the standard of investor relations practice,” said Yvette Lokker, President & CEO of CIRI.

Belle Mulligan Award for Leadership in Investor Relations

The Belle Mulligan Award for Leadership in Investor Relations is given by CIRI in honour of the late Belle Mulligan to recognize individuals who have shown singular leadership in one or more aspects of the practice of investor relations.

Belle Mulligan (1940-2009) will long be remembered as a leader and standard setter in the IR profession and as a founder of CIRI. Her passion for IR began through her association with NIRI in the early 1970s, and in 1981, she joined a small cadre of IR leaders to help develop NIRI Canada, now CIRI. She served on both the CIRI and NIRI Boards and was cited by one analyst as “adding 10% to the valuation” of the senior gold mining company she represented. Her professionalism won her many admirers, and her engaging personality and generous heart won her a wide circle of friends. She was a mentor to many IROs, urging them to set their sights high within their organizations.

As a leader and innovator in investor relations, Isabelle Adjahi delivers best-in-class investor relations programs and introduces new practices, including ‘call and learn’ events to educate the investment community on areas that impact her business. She has earned recognition as “Best IRO”, as awarded by IR Magazine in 2016 and 2007, and was instrumental in establishing the Mentorship Program for CIRI Quebec.

“Isabelle has demonstrated that she is a leader in the investor relations profession not only through her best-in-class investor relations program but by her dedication to mentoring others in the profession. These attributes are similar to those of Belle and make Isabelle the ideal recipient,” said Len Mulligan, Belle’s husband.

Isabelle Adjahi is the Senior Vice President of Investor Relations and Communications at WSP Global Inc. She joined the company as Director, Communications and Investor Relations in 2011. Prior to that, she held a similar position in a pharmaceutical company for 13 years. Ms. Adjahi has experience across various fields including equity and debt financing, takeover bids, mergers and acquisitions, debt holder relations, product acquisition as well as overall communication with current and potential investors, analysts, media, employees and other stakeholders. Before joining Axcan, she worked in corporate finance in Montreal for Midland Walwyn Capital Inc. and in France, for one of the largest bank.

Ms. Adjahi holds a Masters in Foreign Languages and Literature from the University of Lyon (France). She is past president of CIRI Quebec and winner of several IR Magazine Awards.

“It is a great honour for me to receive the Belle Mulligan Award. I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to the members of the selection committee for this recognition. It is humbling for me to be recognized for a profession I have been doing with passion for so many years. I am also blessed to have been supported by an excellent network of fellow IROs, an outstanding team and great bosses who always welcomed new approaches and enabled me to challenge the status quo”

“Isabelle is a well-respected IRO who continues to give back to the investor relations community through mentorship and speaking engagements,” said Yvette Lokker. “Her passion for investor relations and her commitment to delivering a leading investor relations program is evident to all who know her.”

About CIRI

CIRI is a professional, not-for-profit association of executives responsible for communication between public corporations, investors and the financial community. CIRI contributes to the transparency and integrity of the Canadian capital markets by advancing the practice of investor relations, the professional competency of its members and the stature of the profession. With close to 500 members and four Chapters across the country, CIRI is the voice of IR in Canada. For further information, please visit CIRI.org.

Contacts

Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI)
Yvette Lokker, (416) 364-8200 ext. 224
President & CEO
ylokker@ciri.org

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Contacts

Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI)
Yvette Lokker, (416) 364-8200 ext. 224
President & CEO
ylokker@ciri.org