Winners of the AIC Shareholder Communication Awards 2022 announced
The awards recognise exceptional shareholder communication by AIC member investment companies and their managers.
The Association of Investment Companies (AIC) has announced the winners of its Shareholder Communication Awards 2022. The awards recognise exceptional shareholder communication by AIC member investment companies and their managers.
The judges were Simon Elliott, Head of Research at Winterflood Investment Trusts, Tim Cockerill, Investment Director and Head of ESG at Rowan Dartington, Moira O’Neill, Head of Personal Finance at interactive investor and David Stevenson, financial journalist and commentator.
The awards were presented last night at the AIC’s annual London dinner, held at the Landmark Hotel, Marylebone. Clive Myrie, BBC journalist and presenter of Mastermind was the guest speaker.
Chair of the judging panel, Simon Elliott, Head of Research at Winterflood Investment Trusts, said: “Once again, there was an overwhelming number of entries to the Shareholder Communication Awards and the standard improves year on year. The Best Factsheet category had the most entries and they were of a very high quality, demonstrating that companies recognise the continuing importance of the humble factsheet when it comes to updating shareholders.
“The Best Report and Accounts categories continue to be extremely competitive. Companies are bringing their strategies to life in an impressive and engaging way, incorporating video and digital platforms. It’s also encouraging to see investment companies broadening their communications strategies to include multi-channel marketing campaigns, combining digital media, social media, PR and advertising in creative and effective ways. On behalf of the judging panel, I’d like to offer my congratulations to the winners for their superb work.”
Richard Stone, Chief Executive of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC), said: “It’s really encouraging to see how investment companies have improved their communication with shareholders. Every year we see fresh innovations in reports and factsheets and bolder, more striking campaigns reaching out to potential new investors. I look forward to seeing more progress in all these areas in future. I’d like to thank all those who entered the awards and congratulate the winners who continue to raise the bar across the industry.”
The winners are:
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Best Report and Accounts – Generalist Winner: The Merchants Trust |
The judges highlighted several aspects of The Merchants Trust’s report and accounts as outstanding. These included its innovate multi-channel approach and profiling of an ESG case study. They commended the engaging imagery throughout and presentation of the top holdings.
Highly commended: AVI Global Trust
The judges noted how AVI Global Trust has differentiated itself in a crowded sector with an attractive and highly readable report.
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Best Report and Accounts – Specialist Winner: Allianz Technology Trust |
The panel praised the design of Allianz Technology Trust’s report for its clear, fresh and accessible approach. They commended the creative content and use of imagery to bring the case studies alive.
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Best Report and Accounts – Alternative Winner: Oakley Capital Investments |
The panel commended Oakley Capital Investments’ distinctive approach to communication with shareholders, recognising that many shareholders read reports online. They complimented the digital version of the annual report which combines creative design, clear messaging and innovative layout.
Highly commended: Tetragon Financial Group
The judges praised Tetragon for providing clear and effective explanations of complex aspects of the company.
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Best ESG Communication Winner: JLEN Environmental Assets Group |
The judges found JLEN’s entry to be comprehensive and genuine, communicating the company’s sustainability goals with admirable clarity. The panel also admired the use of colourful and inspiring imagery, the depth of detail demonstrating the company’s impact, and its use of shareholder feedback.
Highly commended: Octopus Renewables Infrastructure
The judges highlighted the detailed design and strong emphasis on performance, planet and people, as well as the use of digital materials to support the company’s entry.
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Best Factsheet Winner: Foresight Enterprise VCT |
The panel lauded the winning factsheet for providing all the key information investors needed and praised its highly effective presentation. They commended the clarity of essential information including performance data, fees and charges, board biographies and the timing of share buybacks.
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Best Marketing Campaign Winner: Templeton Emerging Markets Investment Trust |
The judges said the winning entry stood out in this category as a high-profile targeted campaign that was compelling and impressive. Focusing on the statistic that emerging markets generate the majority of global growth, the “65% campaign” featuring TEMIT’s new corporate identity was able to demonstrate encouraging early results, with 441,000 YouTube views in its first three weeks.
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Best PR Campaign Winner: Mid Wynd International |
The judges noted that this effective manager-led PR campaign resulted in substantial coverage across a variety of publications, including high quality and insightful content in national titles. The campaign has successfully raised the profile of the investment company and helped it break through the £500 million mark in 2021.
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Best Social Media Winner: Augmentum Fintech @AugmentumF |
The panel praised the winner for the success of its smart, engaging communications across several social media channels. They noted that the winner’s content was memorable and made good use of a collaborative approach. They also commended the company’s strategy of regularly reviewing its impact against its goals.
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Best Website Winner: Digital 9 Infrastructure (visit site) |
The judges applauded Digital 9 Infrastructure for its inspired website, recognising how it engaged users to deliver an exceptional experience. They liked the way that the website took users on a journey through the use of coordinated colour, layout and clear navigation. They highlighted how key information was readily accessible and commended the use of digital resources such as videos, social media links as well as high-quality performance data on the site.
PLEASE CONTACT THE AIC COMMUNICATIONS TEAM FOR PICTURES OF THE WINNERS
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Notes to editors:
- The Association of Investment Companies (AIC) was founded in 1932 to represent the interests of the investment trust industry – the oldest form of collective investment. Today, the AIC represents a broad range of closed-ended investment companies, incorporating investment trusts and other closed-ended investment companies and VCTs. The AIC’s members believe that the industry is best served if it is united and speaks with one voice. The AIC’s mission statement is to help members add value for shareholders over the longer term. The AIC has 360 members and the industry has total assets of approximately £266 billion.
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