What is investor relations (IR)?
Investor relations (IR) is the function that manages communication between a public company and its shareholders, analysts and the wider financial community. NIRI, the professional association for the field, describes IR as a management responsibility that combines finance, communication, marketing and securities law compliance. IR runs the earnings process, investor meetings and conferences, and works within Regulation FD so material news reaches the public and analysts at the same time.
Why it matters to a revenue leader
IR turns the sales team's results into the story investors hear. IR teams regularly ask revenue leaders for customer wins, sales motion changes and pipeline color for scripts, investor decks and conference meetings. Anything the CRO hands IR may be repeated in public, so it has to be accurate, consistent with past statements and cleared by finance and legal. A good IR partner also tells the CRO which questions investors keep asking about the sales engine.
Example
Before an investor conference, the IR lead asks the CRO for two customer wins that show the company's move into national accounts. The CRO picks wins where the customers have agreed to be named, checks the contract values against what finance has already disclosed and briefs the CEO on what the wins do and do not prove.
"What has IR told investors about our sales motion, and is it still true?"
Sources
- Who We Are (Definition of Investor Relations) checked 9 Oct 2026
- Fair Disclosure, Regulation FD checked 9 Oct 2026