Communicate magazine is proud to announce the winners of the 2020 Corporate and Financial Awards, which celebrate excellence in all aspects of City communications. The winners reflect those exhibiting best practice in the use financial communications with the City and its influencers.

With a gold in the ‘Best printed report: FTSE 100’ and a silver in ‘Best online report: FTSE 100,’ Burberry and Black Sun also took home the ‘Annual report of the year,’ which addressed the ways in which the pandemic is being handled by the organisation and includes a standalone section that has lead the way in Covid-19 corporate reporting.

The ‘Best IR/ PR agency of the year - small’ and the ‘Best IR/ PR agency of the year -large’ were won by EM and Grayling respectively. Grayling succeeded in increasing its staff while also delivering excellent results for its clients, focusing on upskilling employees and launching a diversity and inclusion network.

“The insight, problem solving and strategies from this year’s winners have proved that now, more than ever before, companies need to focus on insightful, strategic and creative communications. Today’s winners may have taken home a gold, silver or a bronze, but it’s truly the skillsets and talents communicators have that means they have never been more important to business, whatever the challenge,” says Brittany Golob, editor in chief of Communicate magazine.

Other notable gold winners were Swiss Re and Superunion for 'Best printed report; international,’ Legal & General and Superunion for 'Best online report: FTSE100’ and Avast plc for ‘Most effective crisis communications.’

Winners were announced last night through a virtual awards event, the first in the awards’ history. The full list of winners is below.

Best corporate website: FTSE 100

Gold - Anglo American and Investis Digital

Silver - EVRAZ and Zebra Corporate Communications

Best corporate website: FTSE 250

Gold - Centrica and Comprend

Silver - Pantheon International Plc and Instinctif Partners

 Best corporate website: AIM/small cap

Gold – McBride plc and Instinctif Partners

Silver - Futura Medical and Jones and Palmer

Bronze - Mitie and 93digital

Highly Commended - Inland Homes plc and Jones and Palmer

Best corporate website: International

Gold - Coca-Cola European Partners and Conran Design Group

Silver - Magnit and Zebra Corporate Communications

Bronze - Gazprom Neft and Zebra Corporate Communications

Best corporate website: Unlisted

Gold - UK Power Networks Services and Instinctif Partners

Silver - Plus X and Gather

Bronze - Riverstone and MerchantCantos

Best printed report: FTSE 100

Gold - Burberry and Black Sun

Silver - Rentokil Initial plc and Friend Studio

Bronze - bp

Bronze - Croda and Black Sun

Highly Commended - AstraZeneca and Superunion

Highly Commended – Coca-Cola HBC and Black Sun

Best printed report: FTSE 250

Gold - Balfour Beatty and Design Portfolio

Gold - Derwent London and MerchantCantos

Silver - Howdens Joinery Group plc and Emperor

Bronze - Virgin Money and FleishmanHillard Fishburn

Highly Commended - Drax and Conran Design Group

Highly Commended – The Go-Ahead Group plc and Design Portfolio

Best printed report: AIM/Small cap

Gold - SThree plc and Gather

Silver - Urban&Civic Plc and Design Portfolio

Bronze - Halfords Group plc and Jones and Palmer

Bronze - intu properties and Conran Design Group

Highly Commended - RDI REIT plc and lyonsbennett

Best printed report: International

Gold - Swiss Re and Superunion

Silver - Coca-Cola European Partners and Salterbaxter

Silver - Qatar National Bank and FleishmanHillard Fishburn

Bronze - Polymetal International plc and Instinctif Partners

Bronze - The Adecco Group and Black Sun

Best printed report: Unlisted

Gold - UK Power Networks and Instinctif Partners

Silver - Czarnikow with Frances Herrod Design and CooperNixon Corporate Communications

Silver - EuroChem and Black Sun

Bronze - SUEK and Zebra Corporate Communications

Best online report: FTSE 100

Gold - Legal & General and Superunion

Silver - Burberry and Black Sun

Bronze - Schroders and Black Sun

Highly Commended – Coca-Cola HBC and Black Sun

Highly Commended - United Utilities Group plc and Jones and Palmer

Best online report: FTSE 250

Gold - Coats and Emperor

Silver - Balfour Beatty and Design Portfolio

Bronze - Direct Line Group and Black Sun

Bronze - G4S plc and Black Sun

Highly Commended - Playtech plc and Design Portfolio

Best online report: AIM/Small cap  

Gold - Halfords Group plc and Jones and Palmer

Silver - Henry Boot plc and Jones and Palmer

Bronze - Trifast plc and Jones and Palmer

Best online report: International

Gold - Nornickel and Zebra Corporate Communications

Bronze - VTB and Zebra Corporate Communications

Highly Commended - Gazprom Neft and Zebra Corporate Communications

Best online report: Unlisted

Gold - Megafon and Zebra Corporate Communications

Silver - UK Power Networks and Instinctif Partners

Bronze - LeasePlan and Investis Digital

Highly Commended - Digital Catapult and Jones and Palmer

Highly Commended - SUEK and Zebra Corporate Communications

Best CSR/ESG report

Gold - Molson Coors Beverage Company and Flag Communication

Silver - Mondelez and MerchantCantos

Silver - Mondi Group and Radley Yeldar

Bronze - bp

Bronze - Rentokil Initial plc and Carr Kamasa Design

Highly Commended Howdens Joinery Group plc and Emperor

 Best M&A communications

Gold - FIS and Cognito

Highly commended - Lighthouse Advisory Partners

Most effective crisis communications

Gold - Avast plc

Gold - Ventilator Challenge UK and Powerscourt

Silver - Taylor Wimpey plc

Bronze - UniCredit with Bladonmore and FinElk

Best use of digital media

Gold - RELX

Silver - Telecoming

Bronze - UniCredit with Bladonmore and FinElk

Highly Commended - Tinkoff

Best management of corporate & financial media relations

Gold - Ventilator Challenge UK and Powerscourt

Silver - Irish Banking Culture Board and Edelman

Bronze - Bovill and Luther Pendragon

Bronze - Independent Growth Finance (IGF) and Milk & Honey PR

Highly Commended - five°degrees and WP Communications

Highly Commended - Worldpay from FIS and Cognito

Best communication with overseas investors &/or media

Gold - Invesco Global Sovereign Asset Management Study and Lansons

Best evaluation of a communications campaign

Gold - Open Data Institute and Allegory

Best IR agency or PR consultancy - small

EM

Best IR agency or PR consultancy – large

Grayling

Annual Report of the Year

Burberry and Black Sun