The Rep 13 May 2022

THE REPRESENTATIVE 13 May 2022 Tel: (045) 839-4040 / editorial: mjekulal@therep.co.za / advertising: charodinev@therep.co.za 7
#PRIssues: Investor Relations – another
essential part of Public Relations
Ireceived my first-hand
experience in this PR
speciality when I took up the
role of head of communication
at Business Connexion (BCX)
because the company is listed
on the Johannesburg Stock
Exchange (JSE). Investor
relations is another speciality
that young PR professionals
should consider, especially
those passionate about
communicating private
companies’ business and
financial performances to
specific stakeholders, including
c o m p a ny
shareholders/investors, financial
analysts, the JSE, employees and
business and financial media.
I must say I found this
speciality a bit daunting
because of the financial jargon
involved, but what helped me
was the bit of financial
knowledge I acquired when I
was working both at Absa and
the South African Institute of
Chartered Accountants (SAICA).
The role of a PR professional in
investor relations is an
important one because it is
mainly to compile various
communication for the different
stakeholders I mentioned above.
This usually happens at least
twice a year when the company
reports on its half-year and fullyear
performance and financial
results. What is fascinating
about communicating in this
space is that every
communication needs to be
drafted to suit different
audiences. The way you
communicate with employees
and clients is different from how
you would speak to financial
analysts, journalists and the JSE
and the timing is critical.
Before I elaborate on how to
communicate with different
stakeholders and the issue of
timing, I’d like to talk about
something else I learned during
this period. I realised for the first
time that there was something
called a “closed period”. Tthis is
when a listed company cannot
discuss any developments in the
organisation until the date the
half or full-year financial results
are announced. This is part of
the JSE rules because, during
this period, any communication
from the organisation could
affect the company’s share
price. It was a period when
everything was highly
confidential, to the extent that if
there were any major
announcements such as
mergers or acquisitions, change
in management structure or
changes in the different business
units – anyone who worked on
the project had to sign nondisclosure
agreements (NDAs).
Empower ment
Zone
Miranda Lusiba
Because what we were
communicating was so sensitive
(as it involved the financial
performance of shareholders’
money they have put into the
company), the management
involved in the announcement
had to be fully prepped by the
PR team. This is where media
training played a crucial role.
Because most of the
management had had a basic
media training, this one needed
to be a refresher and more
practical; specifically focusing
on questions that analysts and
financial journalists would ask.
You see, analysts and financial
journalists play the role of being
watchdogs for
shareholders/investors. Their
role is to make sure that the
management executives
mandated to run the company
are doing what they can to
ensure that the business meets
its financial obligations to the
shareholders.
When a company or some of
its business units were not
performing well financially,
then the hard questions we
expected to come from analysts
and journalists to the CEO
would typically be: “W hy
should you continue to be the
CEO of a company that is not
performing?”; “Shouldn’t you
have resigned by now?”; “If you
are staying on as a CEO, why
should shareholders trust that
you will do a better job?”; “If the
shareholders give you a second
chance to continue as the CEO,
what plans do you have in place
to turn the company around?”
This is where the advisory role
to the CEO as his executive
committee (Exco) was played by
the PR team – to give counsel on
the best messages to take to the
market and ensure that all the
Exco members were prepared to
ensure consistency in
messaging.
To address the timing issue
and the sensitivity on the day of
the financial results
announcement, we had to share
the different communications
outlining the business
performance in this sequence:
1. A SENS (Stock Exchanges
News Service) announcement
was sent to the JSE before 7am,
followed by an advert that
would be put into the business
publications, which would
come out that morning,
targeting mainly the
shareholders/investors, analysts
and financial media.
2. This was followed by
disseminating the letter to
clients, and the communication
to employees between 8 and
9am.
3. The results announcement
event would start around 9 and
be finished by no later than 1,
followed by a media road show,
in-studio radio/TV interviews by
the CEO accompanied by the
head of communication until
the evening. Not forgetting the
provincial road shows to clients
and analysts the week of the
announcement.
When we were announcing
the full-year financial results,
the next step would be to work
on the annual report, giving a
detailed overview of the
c o m p a ny ’s performance in
every aspect and business
division. I learned that if the
Exco was doing its job of
making sure the company was
performing well financially,
shareholders were not losing the
money they invested. Instead,
they were making returns. A
great financial performance in a
business also meant employees'
jobs in that company were safe.
As a PR professional, it felt good
to be part of that process and
learn. I’d like to encourage
young PR hopefuls to pursue
this daunting, yet interesting
part of our profession.
For more info, contact me
on: C: +27 (0) 68 029 8760
(Voice-Calls); C: +27 (0) 78 675
1297 (WhatsApp) E:
m i ra n d a @ s t ra n g e
consulting.co.za AND
O ra 4 1 1 7 @ g m a i l . c o m
- Miranda Lusiba is the
founding director of Strangé
Consulting – a boutique PR
agency specialising in
dommunication, media
relations, freelance writing,
reputation management and
media training.
● Disclaimer: Miranda Lusiba
& STRANGÉ CONSULTING
retain all title, ownership and
intellectual property (IP) rights
to these columns and
trademarks contained in all
other information and
supporting documents as well.
This is in accordance with the
SA: Copyright Act 98 of 1978
(amended) Intellectual Property
Laws Amendment Act 38 of
1997.
New paediatrician
hopes to educate,
empower patients
WARM WELCOME: Dr Indiphile Gwanya at Life Queenstown Private Hospital is
eager to serve and help educate people about health issues Picture: SUPPLIED
A DV E RT I S I N G
F E AT U R E
ZINTLE BOBELO
Life Queenstown Private Hospital has
welcomed paediatrician Dr Indiphile
Gwanya who will be joining its
formidable list of specialists.
Gwanya, who grew up in
Xhongorha Village, Mthatha, where
she attended Holycross High School,
studied medicine at the University of
the Witwatersrand, and later enrolled
in a registrar programme to train as a
specialist.
Gwanya then pursued her masters
degree through Walter Sisulu
University while serving at Frere
Hospital in East London and Cecilia
Makhiwane in Mdantsane.
With her mother being a nurse, as
well as her aunts, Gwanya said
hospital wards were her playground
growing up.
“I come from a family of nurses so
my whole life was based in a
hospital. In my early primary school
days I went to a mission hospital,
Nessie Knight Hospital, in rural
Qumbu, so I spent a lot of my time in
a health institution.
“I had friends who were patients
and, in retrospect, I think that is
where my inspiration grew from.
“Even if you were to ask me, I did
not know any other career choice but
to be a doctor, from as early as eight
or nine,” she said.
“I was groomed to help people
and, growing up, we were trained to
care for others, something I was
taught at a very young age.”
As she joins the team at Life
Queenstown Private Hospital,
Gwanya said she was eager to serve
the community.
“I am passionate about
community health.
“Health starts from a mindset, at a
point of being empowered and
knowing stuff about diseases.
“What I want to highlight and
bring is empowerment. Parents,
mothers and children need to be
empowered so that we are able to
pick up things early so that by the
time they come to a doctor, the illness
is not more developed.
“I want to bring some cooperation
between a doctor and patient and at
the end of every encounter there
needs to be empowerment. I cannot
leave you knowing less or confused.
“I want to leave you knowing
something else that you did not
know. I am also here to learn so we
can prevent what we can.”
Educating people is at the core of
Dr Gwanya’s heart.
“We need to move to a point
where we can, as a community,
educate each other so that when you
consult a doctor there is some sense
of awareness.”
She said acknowledging different
parenting styles was important.
“Mothers are different, they come
from different spaces, backgrounds
with different support structures.
“But at the core of being a mother,
the maternal instinct is best and I
think that is one thing that mothers
have that no one can take away.
“If you feel something is amiss
with your child, I would advise that
necessary action be taken. Seek care
at your nearest point. Not everyone
will have access to a paediatrician,
but there are still other levels of
healthcare. Mothers need to use
those for the wellbeing of the child.”
Life Queenstown Private
Hospital welcomes
Dr Indiphile Gwanya
Paediatrician
to its team of specialists
Dr Gwanya will be practicing from
62 Ebden Street, Komani, 5320
Tel: 045 011 0170