Working with Professionals to Establish Indexes, TIRI Assists Companies with ESG Implementation

TAIPEI, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Taiwan Investor Relations Institute (hereinafter referred to as "TIRI") held its annual conference and banquet at the Regent Taipei on the 22nd. With the theme of "The Future of ESG is Now", this year's conference focuses on ESG, the topic investors are most concerned with, and invites distinguished guests to share their experience in ESG implementation. Owing to brisk trading in the global capital market, the market value and transaction volume of listed companies in Taiwan have surged since 2018 with a total market value exceeding NT$55 trillion this year. Investors' main concern on companies have oriented towards sustainability strategies and results.

To give companies more specific directions and indicators as well as investors more transparent information concerning ESG implementation performance, TIRI will collaborate with CMoney Technology Co., Ltd. ("CMoney") in the initiation of "Taiwan ESG Rating Index", a new milestone in Taiwan's ESG development.

Although the pandemic remains a threat to countries worldwide, Gary A. LaBranche, the CEO of National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI); Eva Chan, the chairman of Hong Kong Investor Relations Association (HKIRA); and Tim Human, a senior reporter at IR Magazine, have all congratulated TIRI on the annual conference via video and shared their works in ESG and IR profession. They have also expressed their commitments to deepen cooperation with TIRI on various projects and jointly develop a multinational resource platform for investor relations.

Fu-Fu Shen, the chairman of TIRI, states that as the capital market matures, we would witness growing recognition of IR profession and consequently rapid developments in TIRI affairs. This year, TIRI has hosted or co-organized over a hundred professional courses and forums for directors and supervisors, chief governance officers, and investor relations officers (IROs) with agencies such as TWSE, TPEx, Investor Relations Training Center (IRTC) and the Entrepreneur Club, as well as regularly shared IR professional knowledge through TWSE's bimonthly Securities Services Review, TIRI's official website, and mainstream financial media in Taiwan. It also assists listed companies with performance evaluations of boards of directors and offers professional recommendations on corporate governance enhancement. Starting last year, TIRI and NIRI have joined forces to promote NIRI's Investor Relations Charter (IRC) certification program and online IR courses. This year, the Senior VP of Cathay Financial Holdings' IR Department Ya-Jou Chang has obtained IRC, demonstrating unparalleled professionalism.

TIRI's Vice Chairman Jonny Kuo highlights the three core values of "Taiwan ESG Rating Index" in the collaboration with CMoney: 1. Having the rating based on quantitative information and supplemented by qualitative information, the index strives for fairness and transparency; 2. Using an open platform for listed companies to voluntarily participate in information disclosure; 3. Improving regulatory compliance in Taiwan and complying with international standards. CMoney is a professional financial and economic platform with integrated advantages such as more than 20 million views a month on average, over 2 million active app users and an investment decision system adopted by the majority of investment institutions. On the basis of a broad user group, its participation in the promotion of "Taiwan ESG Rating Index" will allow investors to acquire ESG rating information and relevant discloses more effectively.

TIRI initiated the "TIRI IR Awards" last year, which was highly anticipated by listed companies and partners in the IR profession. Despite the pandemic, TIRI manages to complete the selection criteria for each award this year and schedules to make announcements in the first half of 2022. TIRI endeavors to organize the TIRI IR Awards with the most objective and stringent system so that companies and individuals dedicating to corporate governance, ESG, and IR would be recognized by the highest honor. This year, TIRI and CMoney have jointly selected TWSE-listed United Microelectronics Corporation (2303.TW) and TPEx-listed Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation (5347.TW) as winners of the "ESG Special Award", which aims to inspire all listed companies to strengthen their ESG practices and better meet investors' expectations.

Tom Huang, the Senior IR Manager of BizLink Holding Inc. which has yet again been the winner of Best in Sector: Technology in the Greater China Awards 2021 organized by IR Magazine, is invited to address the seminar on ESG practices during the annual conference. His practical experience and professional analyses would give companies a clearer picture on how to bring their ESG to perfection and improve their ratings in various ESG rating agencies. Furthermore, Peter Kurz, the former Managing Director and Head of Research at Taipei Branch of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. shares his personal experience on approaches to enhance the overall corporate value and the best practices for IR implementation from various aspects including IR strategies, the latest development trends, effective processes and the best practices.

Contact Person:
Jonathan Chiou, Secretary General of Taiwan Investor Relations Institute
Phone: +886-2-2381-9248
E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Taiwan Investor Relation Institute (TIRI)