IR magazine FROM THE EDITOR

FEBRUARY 2010 ISSUE 210

Journey to
Executive editor Neil Stewart
Tel: +1 212 430 6876
Founding editor Janet Dignan
Tel: +44 20 7251 7501

the center
Chief copy editor Kathleen Hennessy
Deputy editor Clare Harrison

of the earth
International correspondent Tim Human
Reporter Robin Froggatt-Smith
Contributors Brad Allen, Adrienne Baker,
Jeff Cossette, Ian Williams

Head of art and production Mariel Tabora Foulds

Assistant design editor Jonathan Parker In December, as man-made islands full of empty buildings languished
Senior designers Julie Binchet, Catherine
Schmitt Brookes in Dubai and US developers struggled to keep commercial property
Designer James Noden afloat, I was marveling at more new eye-popping buildings taking shape
President Ian Richman
in Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Publisher Harvey Hudes We were there celebrating our Asia IR awards. Unlike elsewhere in 2009,
Sales and marketing director David Sweet these awards had no gloomy tinge because the financial crisis never really
Sales assistant Gabriella Gal
Head of awards Jeremy Lankshear
hit in Asia. According to market intelligence firm Ipreo, Hong Kong and
Events manager Becky Hurley China have already bounced back to their 2007 levels of net foreign equity
Head of conferences Athena Sammy investment. New issuance in Hong Kong and China jumped to a record pace
Conference producer William Russell
Conference coordinator Carol Buonanno
over the last six months, with at least one Hong Kong consultant rubbing
Events coordinator Ewa Karczmarz his hands at the prospect of 700 new IPOs in the city-state in 2010.
Webcomms coordinator Katy Littlewood
This is Asia’s century. A sportswear company IRO from Beijing told me
Chinese manufacturers aren’t worried about the US consumer recovery
Subscription inquiries
US Brigitte Toledano tel: +1 212 430 6861 as they have a huge and growing number of Chinese consumers to sell
Europe David Barrett tel: +44 20 7251 7521 to. In IR and corporate governance, Asian companies adapted to western
Email subscriptions@thecrossbordergroup.com
Cross Border (USA) Inc
practices over the last 20 years. Magnus Böcker, the former NASDAQ
65 Broadway, Suite 605, New York, NY 10006, USA OMX president who just took the helm at Singapore Exchange, exhorted
Tel: +1 212 425 9649 Fax: +1 212 425 7589
IROs at the IR Magazine South East Asia Conference to ‘steal with pride’.
Cross Border Ltd
Churchill House, 142-146 Old Street, Now, like the sportswear company, Asian executives are turning
London EC1V 9BW, UK
Tel: +44 20 7251 7500 Fax: +44 20 7490 4349 their attention inward and coming up with their own ways of doing
Shanghai office things. Bank of China chairman Xiao Gang recently called for Chinese
Henry Xiao, Chinese representative
Tel: +86 21 5220 7134 Fax: +86 21 6239 8622
corporate governance reform. Chinese banks, he said, should build
General inquiries their governance with Chinese characteristics, and at the heart of
Email: mail@thecrossbordergroup.com the system there should be social responsibility and sustainability.
Website: www.irmagazine.com
The new buildings in Asia are like no others in the world, and the
Printed by
Buxton Press Ltd, Palace Road, Buxton, West will have to copy their flair or be left behind. The same goes for
Derbyshire SK17 6AE, UK
business. Asia is the new center of the world: look at what’s happening
there, then steal with pride.
IR magazine is published monthly by Cross Border Ltd, Churchill
House, 142-146 Old Street, London EC1V 9BW. Send international
address corrections to: IR magazine, Churchill House, 142-146
Old Street, London EC1V 9BW, UK. Send US address corrections
to: IR magazine, 65 Broadway, Suite 605, New York, NY 10006.
Printed by Buxton Press Ltd, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire
SK17 6AE, UK. ©Cross Border Ltd 2010. Issue 210. All rights
reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written
permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Articles are
published without responsibility on the part of the publishers
or the authors for any loss occasioned by any person acting or Neil Stewart
refraining from action as a result of any view expressed herein.
Executive editor
ISSN 2041-8884 (Print) ISSN 2041-9155 (Digital)
neil.stewart@thecrossbordergroup.com

February 2010 3