Series 2: Ep 6: The Professionalisation of IR and Talent Recruitment with Anna Hartropp

Enquire, the Investor Relations podcast

A decade ago, very few people were even aware of what investor relations (IR) is, but today it is a very important part of most companies, regardless of their size. As someone who has held positions in politics, communications, in-house IR, and investment banking, and who is the founder of an IR recruitment company, Anna Hartropp has a wealth of knowledge that will greatly benefit anyone interested in entering or making a career progression move in the IR space. In contrast to many other recruiters, Anna prioritises the candidates in the recruiting process as much as she does her clients (the hiring companies). After listening to this episode, you will have a better understanding of the trends that are taking place in the IR space, how to prepare for an interview for an IR role, what IR rewards packages generally look like, and more! People who work in IR usually love what they do, which is why so many IR professionals spend their entire careers in the space; tune in today to hear how you can become one of them!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introducing Anna Hartopp, the founder of Anna Hartropp Limited.

• Factors that make Anna’s approach to IR recruitment unique.

• What motivated Anna to transition from investor relations to recruitment.

• Elements that Anna most and least enjoyed about working in the investor relations space.

• The key factors that Anna looks for when recruiting a candidate.

• How the IR space has evolved over the last decade.

• Post-COVID trends that Anna has noticed as a recruiter.

• Advice for preparing for an interview for an IR role.

• How to decide whether to make a career move within the IR space.

• The balance that is important to strike during an interview for an IR role.

• Challenges of being an IR recruiter.

• The importance of being open to expecting the unexpected in the IR space.

• Changes in IR rewards packages that have taken place over the past few years.

• Anna’s top tips for someone who is in the early stages of their IR career.

• What Anna loves about her job.

• Advice for anyone interested in founding their own business.

• Anna’s future plans.

Quotes:

“I focus a lot on my candidates rather than just my clients. Yes, my clients mandate me, but my candidates are the people I want to grow with through their careers.” — Anna Hartropp [0:01:39]

“It is almost 10% experience and aptitude and competency, and it is 90% cultural fit.” — Anna Hartropp [0:04:48]

“IR has gone from being something that only a few companies had and most people had not ever heard of to being something that even small-cap companies now have budget and resource for in some shape or form.” — Anna Hartropp [0:05:45]

“Make any move in your career as long as you can justify it and back it up.” — Anna Hartropp [0:15:07]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Anna Hartropp Limited

Anna Hartropp on LinkedIn

Investor Relations Society

Equitory