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.
Episodes
Jul 29, 2026
Jul 29, 2026
2 hr 7 min
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.
Jul 20, 2026
Jul 20, 2026
16 min
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."
Jul 8, 2026
Jul 8, 2026
12 min
Join David and Mark as they discuss the SpaceX IPO and what implications it may have in the Middle East.