NEW YORK, March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- MZ Consult NY LLC (http://www.mz-ir.com), a leading investor relations and financial communications firm, jointly with IR Global Rankings' supporting entities (KPMG, NYSE Euronext, Arnold & Porter, Bank of New York Mellon, Demarest & Almeida, PR Newswire and Bloomberg), announced on March 20 the winners for the 2008 Investor Relations Global Rankings (http://www.irglobalrankings.com) in Europe. The 10th annual IR Global Rankings ceremony was held at Palais Brongniart in Paris after a comprehensive technical review of 160 registrants from 32 countries.
The best IR websites by technical criteria in Europe were: Bayer (XETRA: BAY.DE), adidas (XETRA: ADS.DE), BASF (XETRA: BAS.DE), Deutsche Post World Net (XETRA: DPW.DE) and RWE (XETRA: RWE.DE). All the above companies were also best in their global industries. The best IR website in the small/mid cap category was Arcadis (Amsterdam: ARCAD.AS), and the best online annual report in the European region was adidas (XETRA: ADS.DE). Fresenius Medical Care (XETRA: FME.DE), Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG), and RWE AG (XETRA: RWE.DE) were the winners in their global industries.
The winners by direct vote (investors and analysts) were BBVA - Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE: BBV) for all categories and Fresenius Medical Care (XETRA: FME.DE) for best IR Team.
Companies with the best corporate governance practices by technical criteria were: Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG), also best in global industry, Telekom Austria (Viena: TKA.VI), also best in global industry, Bayer (XETRA: BAY.DE), Deutsche Post World Net (XETRA: DPW.DE) and TOTAL (NYSE: TOT). Norsk Hydro (NYSE: NHYDY.PK) and QIAGEN (NasdaqGS: QGEN) were the best in their global industries. IC RUSS-INVEST was awarded the best in the small/mid cap category.
Finally, the best financial disclosure procedures by technical criteria were: Norsk Hydro (NYSE: NHYDY.PK), also best in global industry, Novartis (NYSE: NVS), Statoil Hydro (NYSE:STO), Galp Energia (XETRA: GZ5.DE) and BASF (XETRA: BAS.DE). ESPRINET (Berlin: EP4A.BE) was awarded the best in the small/mid cap category.
The IR Workshops (best practices and trends for IR websites, corporate governance and financial disclosure procedures) and the Award Ceremonies for Asia Pacific & Africa and Latin America will be held at the following venues and dates:
-- NEW DELHI, March 24 at 9 am, address: InterContinental The Grand New Delhi, Barakhamba Avenue, Connaught Place, New Delhi - 110 001, India
-- SAO PAULO, March 31 at 9 am, address: Plaza Centenario, Av. Nacoes Unidas, 12.995, Brooklin, Sao Paulo, SP, 04578-911 Brazil
IR professionals can confirm their attendance by sending an e-mail to irgr@mz-ir.com. The events are free of charge, but confirmation of reservation is contingent on seat availability.
For further information, please contact Amanda Munhoz at irgr@mz-ir.com or by phone at +1 (212) 813-2975.
About IR Global Rankings: Solid communication with the investment community has become a key priority for investor relations and corporate governance professionals in recent years, driven by the strong belief that stock prices and risk perception can be managed, the implementation of Fair Disclosure and other new regulations, and the growing importance of transparency for earning and maintaining investor confidence. The IR Global Rankings and Awards annual survey -- supported by KPMG, NYSE Euronext, Arnold & Porter, Demarest & Almeida, The Bank of New York Mellon, Bloomberg and PR Newswire -- is the most comprehensive auditing and ranking system for IR websites, corporate governance practices and financial disclosure procedures. Based on extensive proprietary research of publicly held companies and investors, and supported by input from independent auditors, corporate governance and legal experts, MZ's methodology is highly detailed, transparent and fully accessible to all participants. The annual IR Global Rankings and Awards Survey has grown each year since its inception in 1999 (http://www.irglobalrankings.com).
SOURCE MZ Consult NY LLC
International News / Press Release source: PR Newswire
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