IR professionals have a wide range of backgrounds, from finance to investment banking and corporate communications. It’s a result of the fact that people often arrive ‘by accident’ in the profession, rather than follow a set career path.

As the IR industry continues to grow and mature, individuals with other profiles will likely be drawn into the profession. But what kind of experience might they have? According to Smooch Repovich Reynolds, founder and CEO of Smooch Unplugged, there are two emerging backgrounds for IROs.

‘One is professionals who come out of global consulting organizations,’ she says. ‘I think that is interesting because these consulting organizations really cultivate a different type of strategic thinking… and I think that is a huge competitive advantage for an IR professional.

‘The other area where we are seeing more people come from, which I talked about 10-15 years ago [as a possibility], is from being a global economist. It seems a little out there… but having that economist background gives a whole different and specific perspective to a management team and a board.’