DOHA: Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) held the 10th Annual Investor Relations Conference. The conference was held at the Rotana Hotel in Doha with the participation of a wide range of representatives from leading listed companies, market participants, regulatory bodies and investors.

With its continuous efforts to further promote the adoption of international best practice in the field of Investor Relations (IR) amongst its listed companies, QSE decided to hold this event in an interactive type sitting so that all listed companies and the investment community can gain greater exposure to the latest IR strategies and effective practices utilized worldwide.

Mr. Rashid bin Ali Al Mansoori, CEO of Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE), stressed in a speech during the opening of the conference on the importance of investor relations in light of the growing changes. He added “since transparency and effective IR communications are the hallmark of a successful capital market, the development of IR practices will definitely enhance the sustainability of listed companies. As QSE is Qatar’s national stock exchange, we seek to support the sustainability of our listed companies in the years and decades ahead, especially in light of the current geopolitical instability in the region. Thus, we are actively working on promoting sound IR practices among our listed companies in order to maintain investor confidence and enhance their investment attractiveness.”

Since we are keen to encourage listed companies to adopt best IR practices, QSE has held over the last few years many conferences, forums training programs, the latest of which was the training program held last week and aimed to enable participants to earn an internationally recognized IR certification. In this context, I would also like to highlight QSE IR Excellence Program aimed at rewarding companies and individuals demonstrating the highest investor relations standards in the country on an annual basis, Al-Mansoori elaborated.

“Effective from 1st of October 2019, Qatar will be introducing a mandatory “rules-based” framework for IR; the Rules reflect best-practice and should in any case be standard for listed companies in today’s regulatory capital markets’ environment. We thank the Qatar Financial Markets Authority for supporting this effort.” Al-Mansoori said.

Mr. Al-Mansoori also acknowledged the Exclusive Partner and expressed his sincere thanks to the sponsoring companies.

Mr. Abdul Aziz Al-Emadi, Listings Director of Qatar Stock Exchange, said that the IR Annual Conference, the Excellence Program, and frequent training programs reflect QSE desire to achieve best international practice among our listed companies for a transparent investment environment. The issuance of the IR Rules, which will be effective as of October 1st 2019, is a testament to the Exchange’s commitment towards achieving quality investor relations to improve market accessibility and support the development of successful capital markets.”

The event targeted all Qatari listed companies, featuring a wide spectrum of presentations and panel discussions on a series of significant topics covering of global best practices in IR. The program topics aim to educate listed companies on the importance of sound Investor Relations practice covering the daily functions of IR teams.