Online, offline, streamlined: the future of investor communications

The Federal Government’s recent announcement to allow listed companies to make annual reports available to shareholders online, rather than mailing hard-copy reports to shareholders, has significant implications for managed investment schemes as well as companies. This and other advances in investor communications will be analysed at a special half-day seminar in Sydney on May 30, organised by the Australasian Investor Relations Association (AIRA).

The new rule paves the way for funds managers to lobby the Government to also allow them to post unitholder statements, annual and half-yearly reports and other pieces of member communication to a secure web site, rather than send these documents in the mail. Ian Matheson, the chief executive of AIRA, said: “Managed investment schemes expend significant resources sending hard copy statements to unitholders and have many of the same challenges communicating with them as listed companies do. I have often thought that valuable insights could be shared between listed entities and fund manager’s in how they go about communicating with their respective shareholder’s or unitholders and the different techniques and technologies used.” With listed companies able to post their annual reports to their web site, the question is also raised as to whether other shareholder and unitholder communication pieces could also be electronically posted or distributed via podcasts, for example. The half-day seminar, entitled ‘Online, Offline, Streamlined: The Future of Investor Communications’, will be held between 11.30 am and 5.30 pm on Wednesday, May 30, 2006 at the Westin Hotel, Sydney. For more information, phone 02 9872 9100 or email administration@aira.org.au.