The National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) today announced the
election of Bina Thompson as the 2008-2009 chairman of the NIRI Board of
Directors. Thompson is vice president, investor relations for New
York-based Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL). She succeeds Matthew V. Stroud,
vice president, investor relations, of Darden Restaurants, Inc.
(NYSE:DRI).
At its recent annual meeting, NIRI members also elected the following
four new directors: Derek Cole, vice president, investor relations for
Allos Therepeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALTH); Barbara Gasper, group executive
and senior vice president, investor relations of MasterCard Inc.
(NYSE:MA); Nicole McIntosh, director of investor relations for Waddell &
Reed Financial, Inc. (NYSE:WDR); and David Prichard, vice president,
investor relations and corporate communications for Corn Products
International, Inc. (NYSE:CPO). NIRI board members serve four-year terms.
New Board Chairman
“NIRI is extremely fortunate to have someone
of Bina’s investor relations experience and
industry standing as its new chairman,” said
Jeffrey Morgan, president and chief executive officer of NIRI. “The
board and staff are fully committed to NIRI’s
mission of advancing the practice of investor relations and the
professional competency and stature of our members. Under the strategic
direction of Bina and the full board, we look forward in 2008 to
renewing our commitment to meeting member needs, promoting NIRI’s
brand, advocating for members, and becoming a best-in-class association.”
Thompson said, “I am honored to have been
elected to chair this organization that has had such an important
influence on my investor relations career, and more broadly, has
advanced the investor relations profession. The board and I welcome our
four highly qualified new board members, and look forward to meeting
several important priorities in 2008 including resourcing NIRI
appropriately, continuing to enhance our national chapter program, and
increasing NIRI’s advocacy efforts on behalf
of our members, while being mindful of how NIRI can best assist members
during these challenging economic times.”
Bina Thompson joined Colgate-Palmolive in November 1992 as director,
investor relations. Named vice president in July 1993, she is
responsible for investor and financial relations as well as the
publication of all financial communication. Prior to joining Colgate,
Thompson spent seven years at Cognex Corporation, a manufacturer of
machine vision systems. There she held a variety of positions, including
manager of investor relations and treasurer. In 1999, Colgate-Palmolive
received IR magazine's Grand Prix award for Best Overall Investor
Relations. Thompson, a member of the Investor Relations Association, is
also past president of that organization as well as NIRI's New York
Chapter, and has served as a member of the NIRI Board of Directors since
her election in 2005. Thompson graduated from Harvard University with a
bachelor’s degree in English literature and
received her master in business administration from Babson College.
New Board Members
Derek Cole is vice president, investor relations for Allos Therapeutics,
Inc. in Westminster, Colorado, having recently joined the company. Cole
has been involved in the capital markets and strategic planning for over
17 years with 12 years of dedicated investor relations experience
focused on supporting development of small –
and mid-cap companies. He has managed or contributed to a broad spectrum
of financing transactions that combined raised approximately $800
million, as well as contributing to five M&A transactions. He has led
several award winning communications programs and annual report
productions. Prior to Allos, Cole headed the investor relations and
corporate communications function at Myogen, Inc., from its status as a
private company, through its initial public offering and recent $2.5
billion acquisition. He currently serves as president of the NIRI Rocky
Mountain Chapter, is a member of the NIRI BioPharma Roundtable steering
committee, and is also on the board of directors of the Colorado
BioScience Association. Cole received his bachelor’s
degree in economics from the United States Air Force Academy.
Barbara Gasper has more than 30 years experience in investor relations
and finance-related positions, and is group executive and senior vice
president, investor relations of MasterCard Inc., Purchase, New York.
Gasper, who joined MasterCard in 2006, is responsible for cultivating
relationships with the investment community, educating and updating
investors about the company and providing feedback on how the market
views the company. Prior to joining MasterCard, she was vice president
of investor relations for Ford Motor Company, and held executive
investor relations positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting Group,
Lucent Technologies and Raytheon. She also spent over 20 years at Lukens
Inc. where she worked in both engineering and corporate finance roles,
including assistant treasurer and treasurer. Gasper is a member of NIRI’s
Senior Roundtable and the Speaker’s Bureau,
and holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics
from Bucknell University and an M.B.A. from Widener University.
Nicole McIntosh is director of investor relations at Waddell & Reed
Financial, Inc., Overland Park, Kansas, and is responsible for all
aspects of the company’s investor relations
program. McIntosh established the firm’s
first formal investor relations program in 1999, and began her career at
Waddell & Reed in corporate reporting and analysis one year prior to her
appointment to investor relations. Before Waddell & Reed, McIntosh
served as a staff accountant for six years at a major oil company in
Eastern Canada. McIntosh is president of NIRI’s
Kansas City Chapter, having served on the Chapter’s
board since 2000. She was a member of the NIRI Annual Conference
committee for two years, and was awarded NIRI’s
annual scholarship to the University of Michigan’s
Theory and Practice of Investor Relations program in 2007. McIntosh
holds a Business and Accounting degree from Canada, a bachelor’s
degree in management with Magna Cum Laude honors from the University of
Ottawa, and an M.B.A. from Webster University.
David Prichard is vice president of investor relations and corporate
communications for Corn Products International, Westchester, Illinois,
and has more than 20 years of investor, shareholder and financial
communications experience spanning numerous companies and sectors. Prior
to joining Corn Products International in 2005, he was director,
investor relations and corporate communications for Modine Manufacturing
Company. Prichard has also held senior investor and corporate
communications positions with IMC Global Inc., Vigoro Corp., Equity
Group Investments, Mallinckrodt Inc., Abbott Laboratories and GTE
Corporation. Prichard served as president of NIRI’s
Chicago Chapter and is a board member. He is a member of the NIRI Senior
Roundtable and is a charter member of NIRI’s
Roundtable for Strategic Communication and Reputation Management.
Prichard is a cum laude graduate of the University of Illinois with a
bachelor’s degree in communications, and has
completed The University of Michigan’s Theory
and Practice of Investor Relations program.
About NIRI
NIRI is the professional association of corporate officers and investor
relations consultants responsible for communications among corporate
management, shareholders, securities analysts and other financial
publics. NIRI’s 4,400 members represent
nearly 2,100 publicly held companies and $5.4 trillion in stock market
capitalization. For more information on NIRI, please visit www.niri.org.
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