About Elevating Investor Relations: A Global Conversation
Elevating Investor Relations: A Global Conversation is a series where investor relations professionals Mark Hayes from Breakwater Capital Markets and David Grunfeld from aiiro dive into topics that are impacting the world of IR at a global level. Viewers will gain insights and learn ways of navigating in an increasingly interconnected landscape. We’ll unpack the strategic shifts reshaping the IRO role and examine how approaches to IR are evolving across global markets. Each episode will deliver practical insights on stakeholder engagement, communications strategy, and the changing expectations facing IR leaders today.
Elevating IR: A Discussion with Ian Matheson, CEO of the Australasian Investor Relations Association
Join Mark Hayes and David Grunfeld as they sit down with Ian Matheson, the CEO of the Australasian Investor Relations Association, to discuss the Australian stock exchange, global IR practices, AI, and more!
To learn more about Breakwater Capital Markets' podcasts, check out our website today: https://breakwaterstrategy.com/capital-markets/elevating-ir-a-global-conversation/
31 Aug 2026
Elevating IR: A Discussion with Matt Brusch, CEO & President of NIRI: The Association for Investor Relations
Join Mark and David this week as they chat with Matt Brusch, CEO & President of NIRI: The Association for Investor Relations.
Episode references:
Brunswick 2026 US Investor Survey: https://review.brunswickgroup.com/article/investor-survey-2026/
Erik Carlson’s AI LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7498416088293101568/
Sam Levenson’s earnings call Q&A post: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7498037845379551232/
NIRI Investor Relations Charter (IRC)®: https://www.niri.org/credentialing/overview/
NIRI Fellows: https://www.niri.org/community/fellows/
NIRI Chapters: https://www.niri.org/community/chapters/
NIRI Membership: https://www.niri.org/membership/
NIRI Annual Conference: https://www.niri.org/niri2027-interest/
NIRI Advocacy Positions: https://www.niri.org/advocacy/advocacy-news/
NIRI Semiannual Reporting Resources: https://www.niri.org/advocacy/advocacy-news/sec-semiannual-financial-reporting-resources/
NIRI Advocacy Fly-In: https://www.niri.org/events/2026-legislative-and-advocacy-fly-in/
To learn more about Breakwater Capital Markets' podcasts, check out our website now: https://breakwaterstrategy.com/capital-markets/elevating-ir-a-global-conversation/
10 Aug 2026
Elevating IR: A Discussion with Matt Hall, CEO of the UK Investor Relations Society
Join David Grunfeld and Mark Hayes as they sit down with Matt Hall, CEO of the UK Investor Relations Society. The trio will discuss the IR Society Annual Conference 2026, best practices, the future of IR and so much more.
To watch on our YouTube, click here: https://youtu.be/Fhj8XjPKvg8
To learn more about Breakwater Capital Markets Podcasts, click here: https://breakwaterstrategy.com/capital-markets/elevating-ir-a-global-conversation/
29 Jul 2026
RE-RELEASE: Elevating IR: The Role of the Retail Investor
Hear David Grunfeld and Mark Hayes discuss how individual investors have a role to play for companies within their investor relations strategy.
Originally published to YouTube on Feb. 12, 2026
29 Jul 2026
RE-RELEASE: Elevating IR: Recap of PIF Forum in Saudia Arabia
In this edition of Elevating IR, David recaps his experience at the recent PIF Forum in Saudi Arabia and he and Mark discuss global impacts of the expanding global capital markets access.
Originally published on Feb. 19, 2026.
29 Jul 2026
RE-RELEASE: Elevating IR: AI ROI
Elevating IR discussion on how companies can best report the ROI on their AI investments.
Originally published on Feb. 5, 2026.
29 Jul 2026
RE-RELEASE: Elevating IR: Communicating the Potential of AI
Mark and David talk about how public companies should frame the potential negative impacts of AI on the business to drive confidence and valuation resilience.
Originally published on Feb. 26, 2026.
29 Jul 2026
RE-RELEASE: Elevating IR: Insights Going into NIRI 2026
Ahead of NIRI's Annual Conference in Chicago, Mark Hayes and David Grunfeld sat down to discuss what investor relations best practices look like in the Middle East right now, and what global IR teams can learn from them.
Here are a few themes from the Elevating IR conversation worth carrying into your next earnings call:
- Middle East capital markets are resilient and the IR practices emerging from the region offer a useful framework for any management team preparing for Q2 earnings.
- The IR story must now carry a resilience layer. Growth narratives alone are no longer sufficient. Investors are asking sharper questions: supply chain exposure, margin sensitivity to logistics costs, balance sheet durability under sustained volatility.
- The AI question has evolved. Investors are no longer asking whether you are using AI. They are asking whether AI is improving your economics and competitive position.
- Management credibility looks different today. What investors are looking for from leadership has shifted materially from two or three years ago, with greater emphasis on strategic foresight, adaptive capacity, and the ability to pull multiple levers when conditions deteriorate.
Originally published on Jun. 3, 2026.
29 Jul 2026
RE-RELEASE: Elevating IR: Communications and Managing Through Uncertain Times
Mark Hayes and David Grunfeld discuss client and investor communications as we navigate through uncertain times and a new normal of volatility.
Originally published on Apr. 30, 2026.
29 Jul 2026
RE-RELEASE: Elevating IR: NIRI Session Insights on the Valuation Narrative Gap
David Grunfeld and Mark Hayes discuss the valuation narrative gap on this episode of Elevating IR. Together they unpack one of the most significant structural shifts in investor relations today in relation to the gap.
The data behind this is striking. Across the companies Breakwater analyzed, roughly 65% of valuation reset events now occur outside of an earnings call. And the primary driver is not a miss on reported results, it is investors concluding that the thesis no longer holds.
The implication for how IR teams structure their communications is substantial. What investors are actually trying to underwrite, risk and resilience, strategic actor exposure, durable growth architecture, competitive moat, is largely absent from prepared remarks.The companies that recover from valuation reset events in roughly 99 days share a common characteristic. They have built the communication architecture to answer the question investors are actually asking, which is not what changed, but why the thesis still holds.
Originally published on Jun. 3, 2026.
29 Jul 2026
RE-RELEASE: Elevating IR: NIRI Session on Best Practices vs Adaptive Practices
In this episode of Elevating IR, David Grunfeld and Mark Hayes examine one of the most significant shifts underway in IR. The collapse of the best practice as a durable standard.
Breakwater's global research makes the case plainly. Only 5% of respondents believe a best practice is something defined externally. 46% said a practice is only valid if it improves investor understanding. And the half-life of an IR best practice has collapsed to roughly nine months. This means anything marketed as best-in-class for 2027 based on 2025 conditions is already obsolete.
This points toward a different model. An adaptive IR operating system that learns from every capital markets interaction and treats yesterday's practice as an input, not an answer. The question for IR teams heading into the second half of 2026 is not what best practice to adopt. It is whether their program is built to learn faster than the market changes.
Originally published on Jun. 3, 2026.
20 Jul 2026
Elevating IR: Seven Shifts Defining the Future of Investor Relations
Join Mark Hayes and David Grunfeld as they discuss Mark's recent presentation at the IR Society 2026: "Destination 2030: Seven Shifts Defining the Future of Investor Relations."
8 Jul 2026
Elevating IR: The SpaceX IPO and Implications in the Middle East
Join David and Mark as they discuss the SpaceX IPO and what implications it may have in the Middle East.
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