Episode 38: Karen Keyes - Why In-Depth Financial Knowledge is an Advantage to Great IR Communication

Enquire, the Investor Relations podcast

Is financial acumen or simply good communication the most important ingredient to succeeding in investor relations? Communication and the ability to build rapport with investors is often highlighted as the one thing that sets great IR professionals apart. But in this episode, Karen Keyes, Head of IR at Canadian Tire Corporation (‘CTC’), explains why financial knowledge is crucial when communicating well with investors.

Don’t Underestimate the Need for Good Financial Knowledge

Karen joins the podcast to discuss her 20+ years of experience in IR across different industries and countries. We hear about the challenges of managing major corporate events such as acquisitions and shareholder activism, economic downturns, and adjusting to different IR practices in the UK and Canada.

As we talk about her current role at Canadian Tire Corporation, Karen explains how she manages investor perspectives while representing a beloved national brand. She shares her must-have IR tools, how her team is experimenting with AI, and her thoughts on how IR has changed throughout her career.

In This Episode

• Karen gives us the highlights of her career and the challenges she’s navigated
• How IR practices differ in Canada vs. the UK
• The top mistake IR professionals make
• The most transferable skills and steepest learning curves in IR
• How IR has evolved throughout Karen’s career
• How CTC maintains brand trust
• Why financial knowledge is a priority for Karen’s team
• How Karen’s team manages time and measures success
• How Karen manages difficult conversations with investors and the board
• CTC’s approach to ESG matters
• How day-to-day activities have evolved in the digital age
• Karen’s thoughts on how AI is useful in IR
• Advice for entry-level IR professionals
• The most challenging parts of leading IR

Quotes:

“One of the mistakes people sometimes make in IR is getting very fixated on the market and the investor and analyst audience. I think it's really important, to be successful, to be able to transition and think about stakeholder relations.”

“The biggest feedback for people trying to explore AI for IR would be that it's really about the prompts and it's about human intelligence and learning. So there's no substitute for knowing IR and then using the tool to help you be more efficient.”

“I think the most transferable skill has been the skill that you acquire by being part of the finance team, how to think about a P&L and a balance sheet, how to think about valuation. You need to be able to sit in a finance leadership meeting and listen for the right information.”

Resources:

• Connect with Karen Keyes