Elevating Investor Relations: A Global Conversation

Breakwater Capital Markets
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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

  1. Aug 10

    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/

  2. Jul 29

    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

  3. Jul 29 ·  Bonus

    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.

  4. Jul 29 ·  Bonus

    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.

  5. Jul 29

    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.

  6. Jul 29 ·  Bonus

    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.

  7. Jul 29 ·  Bonus

    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.

  8. Jul 29 ·  Bonus

    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.

  9. Jul 29 ·  Bonus

    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.

  10. Jul 20

    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."

  11. Jul 8

    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.

  • 11 Episodes

About

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.

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