Quartr IR Awards 2025

At Quartr, we sort of have a front-row seat to the field of investor relations, giving us a unique perspective on what truly stands out. That's why we're thrilled to bring back the Quartr IR Awards for a third consecutive year, highlighting the IR teams that dare to push boundaries and set new standards.

We're once again celebrating excellence in IR across our six chosen categories: Innovation, Sustainability, Transparency, Clarity, Insights, and the best Capital Markets Day. These awards aren't just about tradition – they're about recognizing the bold, creative, and thoughtful approaches that set benchmarks for the rest to follow.

Shopify has built itself into more than just a household name in e-commerce – it’s the backbone of millions of businesses, both big and small, around the globe. Shopify has long been committed to education, something they've also brought to IR.

Its IR blog serves as a window into Shopify's DNA. It features in-house produced video recaps of earnings calls, highlights external business podcasts and blogs mentioning Shopify, and more. It also demonstrates how the company thinks, operates, and innovates – an effective approach to building and maintaining a consistent narrative.

Microsoft's IR materials prominently showcase its sustainability goals, including its pledge to become carbon negative by 2030 and to remove all the carbon it has emitted since its founding by 2050.

In June 2022, the company launched Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability, a comprehensive sustainability management platform that helps both Microsoft and its customers achieve their sustainability-related goals. The company also highlights how these efforts align with long-term shareholder value, clearly linking sustainability to profitability. That said, Microsoft is definitely at the forefront of incorporating sustainability in IR.

Many companies share their expectations for future performance, offering guidance typically on revenue and EBITDA. Some focus on the current fiscal year while others project years into the future. But among all the companies we've seen, one stands out when it comes to transparency due to its detailed guidance: NORBIT, a small Norwegian niche player specializing in sea control and surveillance.

What makes NORBIT remarkable in this regard is the depth and breadth of its guidance. The company doesn't just focus on revenue or EBITDA – it also covers R&D spending, CAPEX, and leverage. Even more impressively, NORBIT provides these detailed forecasts for each of its three subsidiaries, along with group-level guidance. This level of transparency is rare, especially for a company without a dedicated investor relations team.

The credit largely goes to NORBIT's CFO, Per Kristian Reppe, who ensures investors have everything they need to navigate what might otherwise seem like a complex, niche business. By consistently setting clear expectations and providing comprehensive insights, NORBIT has become a standout example of IR done right. And lastly, by consistently delivering on its guidance, the company demonstrates a deep understanding of its operations and a strong ability to execute – hats off to that as well.

KLA very effectively communicates the factors driving shareholder value. But what does this mean? The company highlights the fundamental drivers of its business and ties them directly to shareholder benefits, such as its strong competitive position, free cash flow, dividends, and share repurchases.

This level of clarity is a key strength and arguably what IR is all about at its very core. It provides investors with a clear understanding of what drives the company's success and, ultimately, the rewards of being a shareholder. KLA deserves recognition for its clear communication, particularly through its beautiful slide decks.

From capital allocation to business strategy and long-term vision, Mercado Libre's IR team provides everything you need to truly understand the business. Its reports, slides, and earnings calls are detailed and easy to digest – also including an easy-to-grasp fact sheet alongside the reports.

Mercado Libre has recently stepped up its IR game with videos on its website that break down business units and strategic initiatives, as well as an IR podcast featuring leaders from key areas in the company like advertising and logistics. It's no exaggeration to say that Mercado Libre's IR team is setting the gold standard – not just in Latin America, but globally.

Since its inception in 1996, AutoStore has grown into a leader in developing order fulfillment solutions, helping businesses achieve significant efficiency gains in the storage and retrieval of goods – essentially a pure play on logistics as a service.

Its business narrative is thoroughly detailed in its 83-page 2024 Capital Markets Day presentation, which not only traces the company's history but also explains its business model, strategy, and ambitions in a clear way. This CMD even features interviews with customers across various industries and use cases. That said, our recognition for best Capital Market Day goes to Norwegian AutoStore.

Congratulations to all the winners for their outstanding achievements in elevating the standards of investor relations.