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PAL-418/09

Ljubljanska borza, d. d., Ljubljana

KRKA – winner of 2009 PORTAL prize for exemplary IR and CG

The Ljubljana Stock Exchange has awarded its 14th annual Portal prize, which compliments exemplary investors relations and corporate governance methods. The winner was selected by an assessment board of investors, analysts, the press and representatives of the LJSE, applying a two-level assessment method comprising 10 criteria. They looked at the companies’ quality of disclosure, corporate governance, communication strategies and investor relations in the period from October 2008 to September 2009.

The following companies were short-listed for the 2009 Portal prize (given in alphabetic order):
  • appliance maker Gorenje, d. d.,
  • pharmacist Krka, d. d.,
  • retailer Mercator, d. d.,
  • bank Nova KBM, d. d.,
  • holding company Sava, d. d., and
  • telecommunications operator Telekom Slovenije, d. d.
The assessment period was marked by fierce economic conditions and the financial crisis. Companies therefore had to invest additional efforts into corporate communication with all publics and into corporate governance, and the assessment board’s work was especially demanding. The Portal prize assessment board concluded that the company that coped best with the challenges of the assessment period Oct. 2008–Sept. 2009 is the Novo mesto-based pharmacist Krka, d. d., which has thus won the Portal prize for the 3rd consecutive year.

The financial crisis called for listed companies to provide credible and comprehensive information to both the domestic and international public about their operations, the situation inside the company and any potential changed estimates of their future business on account of the stringent conditions.

The Portal prize assessment board believes that the most successful among all listed companies in handling this situation was precisely Krka. Aside from disclosing information through public media, the 2009 winner also organized or took part in road shows at international financial centres, teleconferenced and held other conferences for investors and analysts, as well as held press conferences. The board considers Krka’s corporate website to fully meet the criteria of transparency and scope of information available to investors in electronic format, which thus functions as an efficient supplement to Krka’s other means of informing the public. This has convinced the assessment board that Krka’s corporate communication strategy, both for the domestic and international public, is truly comprehensive and meticulous.

The assessment board agreed that the role of the company’s management and supervisory board and their attitude to the public were crucial in these difficult times. Krka scored the highest number of points under this criterion.

2009 was a difficult year, more or less for everybody. Maintaining a straightforward relationship with all publics in such conditions was a much more challenging task than in the previous years. According to the Portal assessment board, the winning company of 2009 managed to preserve its excellence from previous years intact despite the crisis.

GORENJE – award for best IR team 2009

This year the Portal prize assessment board took the opportunity to present the award for the best IR team in listed companies, attempting to bring into the limelight the IR team that clearly stood out for its professional approach, strong commitment, attitude and care for the company’s reputation. The special award for best IR team 2009 goes to Gorenje, d. d. from Velenje. They have invested exceptional efforts and exhibited a truly professional approach in the assessment period in communicating with investors, with respect to both day-to-day contacts as well as organization of investor conferences, at home and abroad.

Ljubljana Stock Exchange
Date: 18.12.2009