MZ Consult and Corporate Asia Network Announce Merger to Create Leading Provider of Investor Relations Technology Solutions

NEW YORK and HONG KONG, May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- MZ Consult ("MZ"), a leading global consulting firm providing integrated investor relations (IR), technology, financial and communications services, and Corporate Asia Network ("CAN"), a leading corporate communications and investor relations e-solution provider in Asia, announced today the successful completion of their merger, with the conclusion of the corporate restructuring and approval by shareholders and regulatory agencies. CAN was renamed MZCAN (www.mzcan.com).

All former shareholders and executives of CAN will remain at MZCAN, which has a holding company incorporated in Hong Kong and offices in Taipei and Beijing. MZ is the controlling shareholder of MZCAN. Mr. Kevin Yu, the co-founder and director of CAN, will become the Managing Director of MZCAN and will join the executive committee of the MZ group (along with Bruce Ledesma, Ricardo Eguchi, Rodolfo Zabisky and Tereza Kaneta).

"I am excited to conclude this deal with MZ, which brings its global reach, comprehensive technology and data systems, excellent track record and unique business model to enhance CAN's operations and product portfolio. MZCAN is now prepared to replicate in Asia the world's leading IR technology solutions offered by MZ. Our clients will no doubt benefit from this expertise and the broader range of technology products and services now offered," said Kevin Yu, Managing Director of MZCAN.

Commenting on the deal, Rodolfo Zabisky, the CEO of MZ, said "The fit between these two companies is outstanding, not just in terms of the synergies across products and geographic regions, but also because of our client-focused culture and shared commitment to value creation for our shareholders. We see huge opportunities in fast-growing emerging markets, given the increasing sophistication and complexity of capital markets and the growing importance of investor relations, corporate governance, transparency, ease of access to information and equal treatment for companies that compete for resources globally."

MZCAN's portfolio of technology solutions and services includes:

• Corporate and Investor Relations (IR) Websites: developing (multilingual turn-key design and content), maintaining and operating industry-leading websites, including hosting and 24-hour support services, interactive data and modeling tools, search engine optimization, social media, mailing system, interactive and web-video features to create a compelling user experience;
• Conference Calls and Webcasts: comprehensive package of communication services, including earnings conference calls, audio / video webcasts and transcripts;
• Edgar Filing Services: fast around-the-clock conversion and filing of documents with the SEC, with multilingual assistance available;
• XBRL: conversion of documents to SEC-compliant XBRL for live filings, tagging and mapping of data to appropriate taxonomy concepts and XBRL consulting and training, among other services;
• Investor Relations CRM: web-based system that defines key IR metrics, including trends in the shareholder base, contact management and task lists, as well as activities and assessments to improve the effectiveness of the IR team;
• Online General Meetings (www.onlinegeneralmeetings.com): a fully secure and auditable platform for general meetings and proxy voting with digital certification;
• Corporate Governance Platform and IR ERP: integrated and secure platform through which members of the board of directors can execute all the board's important business, monitor and impact corporate governance and maintain a central resource for matters regarding analyst and shareholder perceptions, trading decisions, peer valuation and value creation;
• Online Investor Perception Tools: detailed insight and valuable metrics for how the company, board and management are perceived by both the institutional and retail shareholder base;
• Media Relations Solutions: management system, multi-lingual media relations website hosting and global newswire;
• Direct-to-retail Electronic Campaigns: enhanced liquidity and retail investor support through an integrated suite of targeted web-based push technologies, virtual road shows and mass electronic communications.

The MZCAN deal demonstrates the confidence of two leading companies in the prospects for investor relations and online communications in Asia and in global markets. MZCAN is poised to effectively integrate resources and expertise, expand the scope of its technology services and products and to capture business opportunities globally.

For more information, please contact Amanda Munhoz by e-mail [email protected] or phone +1 (212) 813-2975, or Elsa Huang by e-mail [email protected] or phone +852 2851-3828.

About MZ Consult: MZ (www.mz-ir.com) is a leading global consulting firm providing integrated investor relations (IR), technology, financial and communication services. Established in 1999, MZ has revolutionized the market by focusing on innovation and customized client service with its unique "one-stop-shop" IR model. MZ shareholders are a group of 28 operating partners (71%) and the private-equity fund JBVC I (29%). With offices in New York, Sao Paulo, Hong Kong, Beijing and Taipei, MZ currently has 220 professionals serving more than 400 clients in 10 countries. MZ's services include: structuring companies for IPOs; planning and implementing global investor relations programs; training; market intelligence (value creation, sector analysis, investor targeting, shareholder base and market-expectation management); IR technology solutions and data systems; business and financial communications consulting. MZ also offers three innovative and exclusive programs worldwide: IR Global Rankings (www.irglobalrankings.com), Exemplary Disclosure (www.exemplarydisclosure.com) and Online General Meetings (www.onlinegeneralmeetings.com). The annual IR Global Rankings and Awards survey is the most comprehensive auditing and ranking system for IR websites, corporate governance practices and financial disclosure procedures, and represents an excellent opportunity to benchmark IR efforts vis-a-vis peers and industry leaders. The 2010 edition of the IRGR had over 500 companies participating from 35 countries.

About MZCAN: MZCAN (www.mzcan.com) is the MZ subsidiary responsible for serving clients in the Asia-Pacific region. Founded in 2003, MZCAN is the leading corporate communications and investor relations (IR) e-solution provider in Asia, revolutionizing the way corporations communicate with the investment community, the media and the market by leveraging the power of information technology. With offices in Hong Kong, Beijing and Taipei, MZCAN currently serves over 100 clients in the region. MZCAN's enhanced technology solutions and services portfolio includes: corporate and IR website development and hosting; conference calls and webcasts; Edgar filing services (HTML and XBRL); IR-CRM; Online General Meetings; corporate governance platform and IR ERP; online IR perception tools; media relations solutions; and direct-to-retail electronic campaigns.

SOURCE MZ Consult LLC