Winners of the AIC Shareholder Communication Awards 2024
The awards recognise exceptional shareholder communication by AIC member investment trusts and their managers.
The Association of Investment Companies (AIC) has announced the winners of its Shareholder Communication Awards 2024. The awards recognise exceptional shareholder communication by AIC member investment trusts and their managers.
The judges were Anthony Leatham, Head of Investment Company Research at Peel Hunt, Genevra Banszky von Ambroz, Partner at Evelyn Partners, Moira O’Neill, investment journalist, and David Stevenson, financial journalist and commentator.
“It’s inspiring to see more investment trusts realise the benefits of integrated campaigns to communicate with existing and potential shareholders through advertising, PR, social and digital media alongside traditional reports and factsheets. On behalf of the judging panel, I’d like to congratulate all the winners.”
Anthony Leatham, Head of Investment Company Research at Peel Hunt
Chair of the judging panel, Anthony Leatham, Head of Investment Company Research at Peel Hunt, said: “There were more entries to the Shareholder Communication Awards than ever before with the standard continuing to improve year on year. The categories attracting the most entries were Best Website, Best Marketing, Best Report and Accounts and Best ESG Communication, with shortlisted entrants meeting an excellent standard.
“It’s inspiring to see more investment trusts realise the benefits of integrated campaigns to communicate with existing and potential shareholders through advertising, PR, social and digital media alongside traditional reports and factsheets. On behalf of the judging panel, I’d like to congratulate all the winners.”
Richard Stone, Chief Executive of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC), said: “We are delighted to see investment trusts striving to improve the quality of their communications to shareholders. This year we have seen creative customer-focused campaigns enabled by technology to target new and existing investors.
“I’d like to congratulate the winners and thank all those who entered the awards.”
The awards were presented on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at Fortnum & Mason, London.
The winners are:
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 | Best Report and Accounts – GeneralistWinner: AVI Global Trust Highly Commended: Brunner Investment Trust The judges commended the modern take on a traditional report, describing it as “a joy to read”. |
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 | Best Report and Accounts – SpecialistWinner: Impax Environmental Markets The judges highlighted the appealing design and effective combination of graphics and text which brought the report to life. They praised the chairman’s statement, describing it as fresh and engaging. They commended the ESG report which struck a good balance between comprehensive detail and clear analysis. Highly Commended: Allianz Technology Trust The panel commended the innovative and engaging digital design together with the clear layout of the report. |
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 | Best Report and Accounts – AlternativeJoint Winner: Oakley Capital Investments The panel praised the pioneering approach to digital shareholder communications, describing the format of the report as “leading the way and impressive”.
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 | Best Report and Accounts – AlternativeJoint Winner: Impact Healthcare REIT The judges praised the report’s accessible approach and effective design. They found the report visually appealing and enjoyable to read. |
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 | Best Report and Accounts – VCTWinner: Foresight VCT The panel applauded the clear and visually appealing design which helps shareholders easily navigate the report. They found the report’s design and graphics engaging and specifically noted the commitment to transparency. |
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 | Best ESG CommunicationWinner: Harmony Energy Income Trust The judges liked the innovative use of visuals and animations, making the company’s ESG communications engaging and easy to digest. They admired the ambitious statements, clear scoring methodology and the transparent disclosures demonstrating the company’s ESG impact. Highly Commended: Foresight Environmental Infrastructure (previously JLEN Environmental Assets Group) The judges commended the dynamic design and layout of the report. They liked how the strong sense of community was a uniting theme through the report and how the company demonstrated delivery against KPIs. |
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 | Best FactsheetWinner: Augmentum Fintech The panel highlighted the winning factsheet for providing key information to investors in a cleverly designed, easy to read format. They valued the concise presentation of important information such as portfolio update, performance data, charges and contact details. |
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 | Best Marketing CampaignWinner: River UK Micro Cap The judges praised the winning entry in this category describing the company’s first ever marketing campaign as imaginative and impressive. The campaign was purposeful and creative, while remaining focused on delivering for shareholders. Highly Commended: Blackfinch Spring VCT The judges commended the multi-channel approach of Blackfinch’s targeted marketing campaign, which used clear and engaging materials to help investors understand the proposition. |
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 | Best Social MediaWinner: Templeton Emerging Markets The judges praised the winner for its well defined, engaging communications across multiple social media channels. They highlighted the quality of the tailored content on different channels which contributed to the overall effectiveness of the campaign. |
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 | Best WebsiteWinner: Janus Henderson Investment TrustsThe panel praised the winner for the distinct design, crisp colour scheme and accessibility. They highlighted the website’s clear navigation allowing investors to easily find and access key information along with an array of helpful investment tools encouraging users to continue exploring the site. Highly Commended: abrdn Investment TrustsThe judges praised abrdn’s dedicated investment trust centre for being “simple and easy to navigate”, providing a consistently positive user experience. |
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