Thomson Reuters Extel Survey 2010 Highlights Excellence In Investor Relations

London – Thomson Reuters today announced the leading Pan-European companies and professionals for Investor Relations (IR) as voted for in the 37th Thomson Reuters Extel Survey.

The 2010 Thomson Reuters Extel Survey ran from 22 March to 8 May 2010 and voting was primarily conducted online. The Survey reflects the contribution of over 9,000 professionals from over 1800 buyside firms, more than 2,000 analysts from 225 brokerage firms/research houses and nearly 650 of Europe’s largest quoted companies worldwide. All data, votes received and methodology applied were independently checked and verified by Deloitte.

The key winners in the 2010 Survey are:

* Leading Pan-European Quoted Company for IR: BASF SE
* Leading Pan-European IR Professional: Catherine James, Diageo plc
* Leading Pan-European CFO: Christopher Sweetland, WPP Group plc
* Leading UK Company for IR: WPP Group plc

“The past few years have really tested IR teams in the effort to maintain excellent relations with existing and potential investors throughout the downturn. Regular engagement and communication with the investment community is the hallmark of quality investor relations – it should never be restricted to just the week a company reports its results. The market wants companies to be in contact much more frequently than that, and investors are much more receptive to bad news from companies that have consistently engaged them. The winners and nominees deserve recognition for their expertise and the vital role they place to the running of the capital markets" commented Steve Kelly, Managing Director, Surveys at Thomson Reuters.

The complete results cover 31 Pan-European industry sectors, all major European countries and include extensive trend analysis on the growing relevance of IR to the investment community.

To view the headline results visit www.extelsurveys.com.
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