What New Year’s resolutions should IR professionals set themselves for 2023? This week IR Magazine checked in with executive search consultant Smooch Repovich Rosenberg of SmoochUnplugged to hear her advice.

One of her suggestions was for IROs without media training to get some lined up – and quickly. ‘My team and I, as well as almost all of our clients, wish IROs would understand how to articulate themselves in fully formed sound bites,’ she says.

‘Whether they’re interviewing, having a conversation or already inside an organization, the rambling answer just does not exude that you should be part of a management team. I think that’s going to be a career breaker for a lot of people. Go get some media training. One 20-minute media interview and you watch yourself, and you’ll understand exactly how you need to modify your behavior.’

Repovich Rosenberg also suggests IR professionals focus on their personal brand over the next 12 months. ‘In 2023, I think there are going to be fewer of the top IR career opportunities available to talent,’ she says.

‘What happens then is the top 20 percent of IROs are all of a sudden competing against each other for fewer opportunities, and that can be brutal. So I think if you focus on your career brand strategy – who you are, what you really aspire to be as you look down the road for your career and what you bring to the table – that’s the most important kind of energy you can invest in 2023 for yourself.’