The Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance (2000) lists the development and implementation of a policy for shareholder communications and Investor Relations (IR) as one of the six principal responsibilities of the Board of a company.

Bursa Malaysia Berhad is affected in two ways. First, as the stock exchange, Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad is charged with raising the standards of corporate governance in all public listed companies (PLCs).

Second, as a PLC in its own right, Bursa is expected to be at the leading edge of the development of IR best practice in Malaysia.

I am glad to announce, therefore, that Bursa's Board of Directors approved an Investor Relations Policy for Bursa at its meeting on 15 December, 2006. A copy of the complete policy document can be found on Bursa's website www.bursamalaysia.com in the Investor Relations Section.

Currently, Bursa is actively developing its own IR capability, and the adoption of a written formal IR policy is a key element of that process, and the foundation of Bursa's own IR programme. To ensure effectiveness, the Policy goes beyond being a simple statement of basic principles and objectives. It sets out the underlying processes and procedures and identifies those responsible at each stage. The Policy deals with the following:

• Basic Communication Principles (clarity and reliability of information, its openness, timeliness and consistency);
• Responsible Parties - those who have custody of the various elements of the policy and who are responsible for implementation;
• Authorised Spokespersons - those who may speak for the company and specific areas of responsibility for communication;
• Confidential Information - expressing the need to obtain appropriate undertakings from third parties to whom confidential information is given;
• Publication procedures - covering press releases, results announcements, the Annual Report, e-reports, the company website and others, and detailing those responsible;
• Events - all events and presentations involving investors, analysts and the media, their conduct, the support materials and those responsible, including General Meetings of shareholders (such as the Annual General Meeting and Extraordinary General Meetings), one-on-one meetings and media interviews; and
• Others - including outlook and profit warnings, dealing with information leaks, crisis procedures, policies for insiders dealing in Bursa's securities, trading restrictions for Directors and staff, and special situations (e.g. mergers and acquisitions).

Properly implemented, an IR policy provides a framework for the Board, Management and relevant staff to communicate effectively with Bursa's shareholders, investors, other stakeholders and the public generally. It also facilitates feedback, which can be factored into future business decisions.

While we have more to do, I am pleased we are able to demonstrate with this move, that we take seriously our combined roles of a front line regulator and PLC, and our commitment to open, accurate and timely communications with all our stakeholders.

Investor Relations Policy
0.31 MB (PDF)