First 90 Days as an IRO

A week-by-week plan for anyone taking on investor relations at a listed company for the first time.

A new IRO is hired for judgment they do not yet have, because they do not yet know the company, and the first ninety days is when that judgment is developed and earned. Thirteen weeks in three phases: read before meeting anyone, test what you have learned against people who will disagree with you, then commit to what you believe and agree on how you will be measured. It includes the twelve numbers an IRO should know without looking them up, four questions to be able to answer by day ninety, and a list of what not to do in the first quarter. It is written for a listed company with sell-side coverage; a smaller issuer with one analyst or none will need to adapt the middle phase.