CIRI Announces George Kesteven as New Board Chair and Elects Four New Directors

TORONTO, June 12, 2012 /CNW/ - The Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI) announces the appointment of George Kesteven as Chair of the CIRI Board of Directors for a two-year term. Mr. Kesteven is Manager, Corporate and Investor Relations at Sterling Resources Ltd. and has served on CIRI's Board since 2009. He succeeds Colleen Vancha who will remain on the Board as Membership Co-Chair.

In his current role at Sterling Resources, Mr. Kesteven manages the company's investor relations program and global corporate affairs. Prior to joining Sterling in mid 2008 he was Manager, Investor Relations at PrimeWest Energy Trust, a position he had held since 2001. Concurrent to much of his tenure with PrimeWest, he served as President of the Canadian Association of Income Funds (CAIF) from 2004 to 2006, and assumed the role of Chair from 2007 until 2008. Prior to his involvement with the income trust world he held senior roles in corporate finance and investor relations with TransCanada Pipelines and Petro-Canada respectively. Mr. Kesteven is a Chartered Financial Analyst and holds both an MBA and a B.Comm. from the University of Calgary. He is an active member of CIRI Alberta and the Calgary CFA Society.

"George brings extensive experience in investor relations from both small and large cap companies. This, coupled with his experience as a former analyst and chair of an association, will serve CIRI well as the organization continues to contribute to the integrity of the capital markets and strives to advance the practice of investor relations," said Tom Enright, President & CEO, CIRI.

"I am deeply honoured to be appointed Chair of the CIRI Board of Directors and I look forward to working with the exceptionally talented individuals on both the Board and Management team.  As a team, we will continue to work to fulfill CIRI's vision of being recognized as the Canadian authority on investor relations, committed to enabling fair and efficient capital markets," stated Mr. Kesteven.  "A tremendous debt of gratitude is owed to both Colleen Vancha and David Carey, who in their respective roles as Chair and Past Chair have provided distinguished service to the membership of CIRI and the investor relations profession.  I am delighted that both of them have agreed to remain actively involved with the CIRI Board, as their wise counsel will be appreciated as I transition into the Chair's role," added Mr. Kesteven.

The following individuals were newly elected by CIRI members at the Annual General Meeting held today: Chaya Cooperberg, Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications, Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd.; Brian Ector, Vice President Investor Relations, Baytex Energy Corp.; Dmitry Kushnir, Corporate Director, Investor Relations, Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd.; and Elisa Schupp, Vice President, National Sales, CNW Group Ltd. 

About Newly Elected Directors:

Chaya Cooperberg, Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications, Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd.

Chaya Cooperberg joined Progressive Waste Solutions in January 2007 and is the Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications, responsible for all corporate communications, including IR, PR and employee communications. Prior to joining the company, Chaya was Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications at Alderwoods Group from 2004 to 2006, and Director, Investor Relations at Descartes Systems Group from 2001 to 2004. Chaya is a skilled writer, having worked as a business journalist for various business publications including the Globe and Mail, Investor's Digest of Canada and Stockhouse.com. She is currently the investor relations columnist for Listed Magazine. Chaya earned a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Ryerson University. She is an active member of NIRI and is a member of the NIRI Virtual Chapter Board. Chaya has been a CIRI member since 2001, and held a position on the CIRI Ontario Board from 2005 through 2010.

Brian Ector, Vice President Investor Relations, Baytex Energy Corp.

Brian Ector was appointed Vice President, Investor Relations on June 20, 2011 and is responsible for all of Baytex's investor relations functions. He joined Baytex in November 2009 and held the position of Director of Investor Relations from November 2009 to June 2011. Prior to joining Baytex, Brian spent fifteen years as a sell-side research analyst covering both energy trusts and exploration and production corporations. He spent the last seven years with Scotia Capital where he was consistently ranked as one of the top rated analysts in Canada. Brian received a Bachelor of Commerce with a concentration on finance from the University of Calgary and received his CFA designation in 1996. He is a member of CIRI, NIRI, the CFA Institute, and the Calgary CFA Society and became an appointed Director of CIRI's Board in October 2011.

Dmitry Kushnir, Corporate Director, Investor Relations, Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd.
Dmitry Kushnir was appointed Corporate Director, Investor Relations, Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited in January 2012 and is responsible for the development and execution of Agnico-Eagle's investor relations program, policies and strategies. He joined Agnico-Eagle in 2009 and held the position of Manager, Investor Relations until being promoted to his current position. Prior to joining Agnico- Eagle, Dmitry was Manager, Investor Relations at Sherritt International. From 2000 to 2007, he held various positions within the financial sector, including roles in Equity Research and Investment Banking. Dmitry received a Bachelor's degree in Economics from York University in 2000 and received his Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2005. Dmitry has been a member of CIRI since 2008.

Elisa Schupp, Vice President, National Sales, CNW Group Ltd.

Elisa Schupp began her career with CNW in 1984 where she has taken on positions of increasing responsibility and leadership. In 2010 she was appointed Vice President, National Sales and, as a valued member of CNW's Senior Management Team, is responsible for all aspects of investor relations and public relations strategy. Elisa is an active member of the International Association of Business Communicators and Chair of the Humber College Public Relations Advisory Committee. She has been a CIRI member since 1998, in 1999 Elisa completed the Richard Ivey School's Strategic Management of Investor Relations program and in 2005 was designated as Strategic Advisor to the CIRI Ontario Board.

About CIRI

CIRI is a professional, not-for-profit association of executives responsible for communication between public corporations, investors and the financial community. CIRI contributes to the transparency and integrity of the Canadian capital market by advancing the practice of investor relations, the professional competency of its members and the stature of the profession. With more than 600 members and four chapters across the country, CIRI is the voice of IR in Canada. For further information, please visit www.ciri.org.

For further information:

Yvette Lokker
Vice President, Communications & Professional Development
[phone]
[e-mail]