Hong Kong Investor Relations Association Announces Winners of the 6th IR Awards 2020

HONG KONG, Sept 24, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – Hong Kong Investor Relations Association (“HKIRA”) today announced the winners of the 6th Investor Relations Awards 2020 (the “IR Awards” or the “Awards”).

Now in its sixth consecutive year, the Awards has been recognising and honouring investor relations (“IR”) excellence and best practices among Hong Kong-listed companies and IR professionals. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s IR Awards Conference and Awards Presentation Ceremony was held online for the first time, where experts and professionals were invited to conduct discussions with regard to strategies, leading changes, effective processes and best practices of investor relations from different perspectives. HKIRA is particularly honoured to have Mr. Christopher HUI, JP, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, HKSAR, as the guest of honour and keynote speaker at the Awards Presentation Ceremony.

The 6th IR Awards 2020 has gained strong support from listed companies and the investment sector. The number of participating companies increased to 168 compared to last year, reflecting higher market attention to investor relations. Just like previous years, the award winners were first nominated by the public and then selected by eligible voters from buy-side and sell-side investors via online polling. Over 670 investors took part in the voting for award winners this year. The active participation of the investment community also demonstrated the wide recognition that IR Awards enjoy in the industry.

With environment, social and governance becoming increasingly important factors that affect the strategies and operation of listed companies, the 6th IR Awards added “Best ESG (E), Best ESG (S)” and “Best ESG (G)” awards as well as the “Grand ESG Award” selected by the judging panel comprising representatives from the academic field, professional associations and investment community to honour companies demonstrating excellent in all 3 areas of ESG. Apart from the awards selected by public online voting and the judging panel, the new “My Favourite Listed Company” award was added this year to make the event more exciting, as all participants of the online conference were given a chance during the event to cast the vote for their favourite company among the winning list of companies this year.

Of all the award categories, “Overall Best IR Company” is the most prestigious since the judging panel makes their selection from the winners of all the award categories – honouring companies that have demonstrated exemplary and all-round excellence in investor relations. This year, the winners of Overall Best IR Company by company size – Large Cap, Mid Cap, and Small Cap – are Xiaomi Corporation (stock code: 1810); Fortune Real Estate Investment Trust (stock code: 0778); and Sa Sa International Holdings Limited (stock code: 0178) respectively.

Dr Eva Chan, Founding Chairman of HKIRA, said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has indeed brought challenges to the preparation of HKIRA IR Awards this year, but thanks to the support and assistance of our partners including listed companies, IROs, advisors, regulators and sponsors, and the efforts of our team, the conference and award presentation ceremony managed to go off without a hitch via live broadcast. I really want to express my gratitude to the participation of various parties and their assistance provided during the preparation. We are glad to witness the growing recognition of IR profession in Hong Kong, as well as the enlarging scale and rising standards, making IR an essential part for the corporate governance of listed companies in Hong Kong.”

She added, “Despite the uncertain situation of pandemic that forced us to postpone the event, HKIRA has maintained close communications with our members and industry since the initial outbreak in Hong Kong. In February, we announced the ‘IR Guidance amid Coronavirus Outbreak’, providing IROs with practical information and guidance, and also helping maintain communications with investors and stakeholders during the pandemic. Webinars were also held regularly, in which the industrial peers were invited to share how to overcome challenges brought by COVID-19, so as to maintain service quality of IR during pandemic through exchanging experience. Looking ahead, we will strive to maintain the excellent IR standards in Hong Kong, so as to reinforce Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre and capital market.”

Winners of the 6th IR Awards include the following companies (in sequential order of tickers):

Tickers Company

0001 CK Hutchison Holdings Limited

0014 Hysan Development Company Limited

0016 Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited

0017 New World Development Company Limited

0035 Far East Consortium International Limited

0135 Kunlun Energy Company Limited

0178 Sa Sa International Holdings Limited

0291 China Resources Beer (Holdings) Company Limited

0435 Sunlight Real Estate Investment Trust

0551 Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings) Limited

0659 NWS Holdings Limited

0700 Tencent Holdings Limited

0763 ZTE Corporation

0778 Fortune Real Estate Investment Trust

0799 IGG Inc

0823 Link Real Estate Investment Trust

0832 Central China Real Estate Limited

0839 China Education Group Holdings Limited

0868 Xinyi Glass Holdings Limited

0887 Emperor Watch & Jewellery Limited

0968 Xinyi Solar Holdings Limited

1044 Hengan International Group Company Limited

1119 iDreamSky Technology Holdings Limited

1200 Midland Holdings Limited

1205 CITIC Resources Holdings Limited

1361 361 Degrees International Limited

1368 Xtep International Holdings Limited

1383 Suncity Group Holdings Limited

1608 VPower Group International Holdings Limited

1756 Huali University Group Limited

1797 Koolearn Technology Holding Limited

1810 Xiaomi Corporation

1929 Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited

2020 ANTA Sports Products Limited

2103 Sinic Holdings (Group) Company Limited

2199 Regina Miracle International (Holdings) Limited

2313 Shenzhou International Group Holdings Limited

2343 Pacific Basin Shipping Limited

2778 Champion Real Estate Investment Trust

3331 Vinda International Holdings Limited

3998 Bosideng International Holdings Limited

6068 Wisdom Education International Holdings Company Limited

6158 Zhenro Properties Group Limited

For the complete list of winners, please visit: http://hkira.com/awards/ehall2020.php

Strategic Public Relations Group is once again proud to be the Official Public Relations Partner and Diamond Sponsor of HKIRA IR Awards 2020.

Judging Panel

– Professor Louis Cheng (Chairman of Judging Panel)

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University – Director, Centre for Economic Sustainability and Entrepreneurial Finance

– Mrs. Amy Donati

EDICO Holdings Limited – Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer

– Mr. William Fung

AMTD Group – Group Vice President

– Ms. Ashley Khoo, CFA, CPA

The Hong Kong Society of Financial Analysts – Director

– Mr. Bruno Lee

Hong Kong Investment Funds Association – Chairman

– Mr. Andrew Look

CITIC Resources Holdings Limited – Independent Non-Executive Director

– Ms. Victoria Mio, CFA, CPA (US), FRM

FIL Investment Management (Hong Kong) Limited – Director, Asia Equity Investment

– Ms. Helen Zee

The Chamber of Hong Kong Listed Companies – Vice Chairman

About HKIRA

Founded in 2008 with over 900 members mostly working for companies primarily listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Investor Relations Association (HKIRA) is a non-profit professional association in investor relations (IR), comprising IR practitioners and corporate officers, who are responsible for communications between corporate management and the investment community. HKIRA is dedicated to advocating the setting of international standards in IR education, advancing the best IR practices and catering for the professional development needs of those who are interested in pursuing a professional career in IR. HKIRA’s members are from a wide spectrum of professions including IR, finance, accounting and company secretarial to corporate investment and hold positions at different corporate levels, including top executives responsible for IR and management of listed companies. For more information about HKIRA details, please visit our website http://www.hkira.com

About the IR Awards

Inaugurated in 2015, the Investor Relations Awards (IR Awards) celebrates excellence in the local IR industry through the annual presentation of awards to the many diverse professionals that make up the dynamic IR and finance industries in Hong Kong. HKIRA aims to initiate the IR Awards as the industry benchmark for high standard of excellence in IR by individuals and companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong.

The Awards ceremony is a significant gathering of IR specialists and industry professionals that applauds and publicises the year’s most outstanding achievements in the dynamic IR field in Hong Kong. For details of the Awards and online nominations, please visit http://www.hkira.com/awards.

Media enquiries:

Strategic Public Relations Group

Cindy Lung Tel: +852 2864 4867 Email: cindy.lung@sprg.com.hk

Angela Wong Tel: +852 2114 4953 Email: angela.wong@sprg.com.hk

Rachel Ko Tel: +852 2114 2370 Email: rachel.ko@sprg.com.hk

Website: www.sprg.asia

Hong Kong Investor Relations Association

Bowie Chan Tel: (852) 2117 1846 Email: irawards@hkira.com

Website: www.hkira.com

6th HKIRA IR Awards 2020 Now Open for Nomination

Hong Kong Investor Relations Association (HKIRA) is pleased to announce that public nomination is now open for the 6th HKIRA IR Awards 2020 (the Awards). In their sixth consecutive year, through the Awards, HKIRA looks forward to recognizing the efforts of more Hong Kong-listed companies to encourage excellence and best practices in investor relations.

Dr Eva Chan, Founding Chairman of HKIRA, said, “Building on the success over the past five years, we are thrilled that the HKIRA IR Awards are entering their sixth year. I would like to express our gratitude to our partners, including, but not limited to, member IROs, advisors, regulators, sponsors as well as all the participants and voters during the past five years, for their long-term support and contribution. We are glad to see the remarkable improvement in the overall standards of investor relations in Hong Kong in recent years, and we certainly look forward to another amazing year ahead”.

Dr Chan continued, “To honour outstanding performance across a broader range of IR aspects, this year, we have added three new award categories for nomination and voting, namely ‘Best ESG (E)’, ‘Best ESG (S)’ and ‘Best ESG (G)’, to recognise collective excellence of listed companies in environmental, social and governance efforts respectively. The ‘Grand ESG Award’ is also a new accolade added this year. The winner of the ‘Grand ESG Award’ will be selected by the judging panel to honour companies’ overall performance in the above three areas of ESG. In view of the increasingly significant role that ESG plays in listed companies at a strategic and operational level, we believe exceptional ESG practices should be properly recognised, thus we have introduced this award”.

Last year, the Awards enjoyed widespread support from the investment community with 161 entries from listed companies received. In addition, over 700 eligible voters and over 330 voting institutions cast a total of more than 599 votes for 46 award winners in different categories. The volume of polling testifies to the wide recognition of the IR Awards and appreciation of their role among listed companies and within the investment community. Among the winners, Link Real Estate Investment Trust (stock code: 823), Champion Real Estate Investment Trust (stock code: 2778) and Far East Consortium International Limited (stock code: 35) were awarded Overall Best IR Company by company size – Large Cap, Mid Cap, and Small Cap – respectively.

The 6th HKIRA IR Awards 2020 are once again honoured to have Professor Louis Cheng, Director of the Center for Economic Sustainability and Entrepreneurial Finance, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, as the Chairman of the Judging Panel. In 2018, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has produced a research paper entitled “Relative Valuation Effects of Local and International Analysts’ Voting: The Case of Investor Relations Awards” using the proprietary data from the online voting for the HKIRA IR Awards. Based on the final voting data consisting of 418 nominated firms with total valid votes of 18,172 during the three-year period, Professor Cheng has found a positive effect on the stock valuation of awarded firms when the announcements of IR awards are released. Trading volume has significantly increased for the awarded firms. Moreover, the level of transparency suggests that the nominated but not awarded firms show significant improvement in transparency when comparing pre- and post-event periods.

Public nomination for the 6th HKIRA IR Awards 2020 is now open to Hong Kong-listed companies. Nominated individuals and companies will be placed on the online voting list upon confirmation of their participation. The investment community, including buy-side and sell-side analysts and fund managers, are eligible to vote. Nominees with the highest votes (weighted) in each award category become the award winners. They then undergo a final assessment by the judging panel for the Most Progress in IR, the Overall Best IR Company Awards and the Grand ESG Award. Facilitating a fair and balanced evaluation, the judging panel comprises academics, representatives from professional associations and the investment community.

The 6th HKIRA IR Awards 2020 scheme has a total of 15 award categories honouring best IR practices of individuals and companies. Among these awards, 12 categories are open for nomination and voting, while the other 3 awards are selected by the judging panel. The award winners are to be announced at a ceremony to be held in Hong Kong in May/June 2020. For more information, please visit www.hkira.com/awards.

Strategic Public Relations Group is once again proud to be the Official Public Relations Partner and the Diamond Sponsor for the HKIRAIR Awards this year. Please find key dates relating to the Awards with its categories and criteria for selection listed in the Appendix.

About HKIRA
Founded in 2008 with over 900 members mostly working for companies primarily listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Investor Relations Association (HKIRA) is a professional association in investor relations (IR), comprising IR practitioners and corporate officers, who are responsible for communications between corporate management and the investment community. HKIRA is dedicated to advocating the setting of international standards in IR education, advancing the best IR practices and catering for the professional development needs of those who are interested in pursuing a professional career in IR. HKIRA’s members are from a wide spectrum of professions including IR, finance, accounting and company secretarial to corporate investment and hold positions at different corporate levels, including top executives responsible for IR and management of listed companies. For more information about HKIRA details, please visit our website http://www.hkira.com

About the IR Awards
Since debuting in 2015, the annual campaign of the HKIRA Investor Relations Awards has been encouraging, recognising and rewarding excellence in local investor relations practices by individuals and companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange through the presentation of the IR Awards.

The Awards ceremony, consisting of a conference in the morning and a presentation programme in the afternoon, is a significant gathering of IR specialists and industry professionals that applauds and publicises the year’s most outstanding achievements in the dynamic IR field in Hong Kong. For details of the Awards and online nominations, please visit http://www.hkira.com/awards.

Media enquiries:
Strategic Public Relations Group
Cindy Lung Tel:+852 2864 4867 Email: cindy.lung@sprg.com.hk
Angela Wong Tel: +852 2114 4953 Email: angel.wong@sprg.com.hk
Rachel Ko Tel: +852 2114 2370 Email: rachel.ko@sprg.com.hk
Website: www.sprg.asia

Hong Kong Investor Relations Association
Kiki Lee Tel: +852 2117 1846 Email: irawards@hkira.com
Website: www.hkira.com

Appendix
Key Dates(Subject to final changes.)
Nomination period: 31 January – 2 March 2020
Online voting period: 9 March – 15 April 2020
Judging Panel Meeting: Mid April 2020
Award Conference cum Presentation Luncheon: May/June2020

Award Categories
Award Categories Recognition Selection Method
Best IR Company / Company’s Achievements / Open for nomination and online voting
Best IR Team / Company’s Achievements / Open for nomination and online voting
Best ESG (E)* / Company’s Achievements / Open for nomination and online voting
Best ESG (S)* / Company’s Achievements / Open for nomination and online voting
Best ESG (G)* / Company’s Achievements / Open for nomination and online voting
Best Investor Meeting / Company’s Achievements / Open for nomination and online voting
Best Investor Presentation Material / Company’s Achievements / Open for nomination and online voting
Best Annual Report / Company’s Achievements / Open for nomination and online voting
Best IR Company for an IPO** / Company’s Achievements / Open for nomination and online voting
Best IR by Chairman/CEO / Individual’s Achievements / Open for nomination and online voting
Best IR by CFO / Individual’s Achievements / Open for nomination and online voting
Best IRO (Investor Relations Officer) / Individual’s Achievements / Open for nomination and online voting
Most Progress in IR / Demonstration of the most progress in IR in the above areas during 2019 / Selected by Judging Panel
Overall Best IR Company Awards / Outstanding and all-round excellence in the above areas / Selected by Judging Panel
Grand ESG Award / Overall excellence in all the three areas across ESG / Selected by Judging Panel

* New Awards
** Companies which were listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in 2018 and 2019 are eligible to be nominated for this award.
Remarks: All awards will be further categorised by company market capitalisation into Large Cap, Mid Cap, and Small Cap, except Best IR Company for an IPO, Most Progress in IR Awards and Grand ESG Award.

Judging Panel (Arranged in alphabetical order of last name)
Name Title Firms / Organizations
Professor Louis Cheng(Chairman of Judging Panel) / Director / Centre for Economic Sustainability and Entrepreneurial Finance, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Mrs Amy Donati / Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer / EDICO Holdings Limited
Ms Ashley Khoo, CFA, CPA / Immediate Past President / The Hong Kong Society of Financial Analysts
Mr Bruno Lee / Chairman / Hong Kong Investment Funds Association
Mr Andrew Look / Independent Non-Executive Director / CITIC Resources Holdings Limited
Ms Victoria Mio, CFA, CPA (US), FRM / Co-Head Asia Pacific Equities and CIO China / Robeco Hong Kong Limited
Ms Helen Zee / Vice Chairman / The Chamber of Hong Kong Listed Companies