The Corporate & Financial Awards celebrate excellence in all aspects of city communication. Corporate communications has never been more important. Never before have so many groups of stakeholders had access to corporate information or the ability to influence that company’s brand. The awards programme celebrates and showcases excellence in financial communications and provides recognition for the efforts of staff, companies, agencies and beneficiaries.

This year's shortlisted companies exemplify best practice in annual reporting, investor relations, PR and reputation management. For the seventh year, the Corporate & Financial Awards will celebrate work in these areas across the UK and Europe.

This year, FTSE 250 companies showed a strong commitment to corporate reporting with excellent reports being highlighted by judges in both the printed and online categories. However it was international companies that stole the show. Business located in central and eastern Europe as well as those from farther afield are increasingly targeting the UK investor, analyst and media audiences. Their corporate communications focus reflects that and judges highlighted a number of companies that are achieving success in this area.

In communications, there were several hotly contested categories, including ‘Best M&A communications’ where Careem and Bladonmore were shortlisted alongside DS Smith and MerchantCantos. There is similarly a two-company battle for ‘Best IPO communications’ where AJ Bell and Instinctif Partners are vying for gold alongside Farfetch.

Brittany Golob, publishing editor of Communicate magazine, says, “It is always rewarding to see companies committed to excellence in investor relations, media relations and reputation management. This year, the Corporate & Financial Awards judges were impressed by the standard of work as well as the variety of creative approaches to communications with these audiences. I look forward to celebrating the winners in September.”

The winners of this year’s Corporate & Financial Awards will be announced on 24 September in the heart of London at the Brewery. To book your table, click here.

The full shortlist is as follows:

Best corporate website: FTSE 100

Burberry and Black Sun plc

Direct Line Group and Black Sun plc

Legal & General and Superunion

WPP and Superunion

 

Best corporate website: FTSE 250

Dairy Crest and Luminous

Halfords Group plc and Jones and Palmer

 

Best corporate website: AIM or Small Cap

Sound Energy plc and Jones and Palmer

Superdry plc and Jones and Palmer

U and I Group plc and Gather London

 

Best corporate website: International or Unlisted

Frontier Economics and MerchantCantos

Nomad Foods and MerchantCantos

 

Best printed report: FTSE 100

Anglo American plc and Salterbaxter

AstraZeneca and Superunion

Coca-Cola HBC and Black Sun plc

Legal & General and Superunion

Mondi and Radley Yeldar

Taylor Wimpey plc and Black Sun plc

WPP and Superunion

 

Best printed report: FTSE 250

Derwent London and MerchantCantos

Drax Group plc and Conran Design Group

Electrocomponents plc and Conran Design Group

Howden Joinery Group plc and Emperor

Marshalls plc and Design Portfolio

St. Modwen Properties plc and Gather London

Unite Group and Luminous

Workspace Group plc and Gather London

 

Best printed report: AIM or Small Cap

discoverIE Group and Jones and Palmer

GCP Student Living plc and lyonsbennett

Numis Corporation and MerchantCantos

Petra Diamonds Ltd and Design Portfolio

Stock Spirits Group plc and Emperor

TT Electronics plc and Conran Design Group

U and I Group plc and Gather London

 

 

Best printed report: International

Adecco Group and Black Sun plc

Coca-Cola European Partners and Salterbaxter

En+ Group and Zebra Corporate Communications

Gazprom and Zebra Corporate Communications

Nornickel and Zebra Corporate Communications

Octapharma and Luminous

Swiss Re and MerchantCantos

 

Best printed report: Unlisted

Channel 4 and Emperor

Lloyd's of London and MerchantCantos

Neptune Energy and FleishmanHillard Fishburn

Reclaim Fund and Instinctif 

SUEK and Black Sun plc

UK Power Networks and Instinctif 

Virgin Atlantic and Black Sun plc

 

Best online report: FTSE 100

Burberry and Black Sun plc

EVRAZ plc and Zebra Corporate Communications

Ocado Group plc and Jones and Palmer

Schroders and Black Sun plc

Taylor Wimpey plc and Black Sun plc

United Utilities Group plc and Jones and Palmer

 

Best online report: FTSE 250

Dechra Pharmaceuticals plc and Jones and Palmer

G4S plc and Black Sun plc

Halfords Group plc and Jones and Palmer

 

Best online report: AIM or Small Cap

Arix Bioscience plc and Jones and Palmer

Henry Boot plc and Jones and Palmer

Inland Homes plc and Jones and Palmer

Severfield plc and Jones and Palmer

Trifast plc and Jones and Palmer

 

Best online report: International

Adecco Group and Black Sun plc

Alibaba and MerchantCantos

Gazprom and Zebra Corporate Communications

Pfizer and Superunion

RusHydro and Zebra Corporate Communications

SIG Combibloc and MerchantCantos

SUEK and Zebra Corporate Communications

 

Best online report: Unlisted

Deloitte

UK Power Networks and Instinctif 

 

Best CSR or ESG report

Alibaba and MerchantCantos

HSBC and Superunion

Kier Group plc and CPL (Cambridge Publishers Ltd)

Mondi and Radley Yeldar

Rentokil Initial plc and Carr Kamasa Design

Rio Tinto and Black Sun plc

Taylor Wimpey plc and Black Sun plc

 

Best meeting

Poste Italiane and Bladonmore

Schroders and MerchantCantos

 

Best M&A communications

Careem and Bladonmore

DS Smith and MerchantCantos

 

Best IPO communications

AJ Bell and Instinctif Partners

Farfetch

 

Most effective crisis communications

En+ Group and Zebra Corporate Communications

 

Best use of digital media

Hays and Posh Gecko

Post Office and Lansons

 

‘Best in-house corporate & financial communications team’ and ‘Best IR agency or PR consultancy’ will be announced on the night.