Last Day for European and North American Companies to Register for the 2012 IR Global Rankings NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IR Global Rankings ("IRGR"), the most comprehensive technical ranking system for investor relations websites, corporate governance practices and financial disclosure procedures, announces that the final registration day for the 14th annual edition of the IR Global Rankings and Awards ("IRGR") is today, Monday, February 20, 2012. The 2012 IRGR, supported by of Arnold & Porter, KPMG, MZ and Sodali is a unique and independent external review of any company's communication process with the capital markets. TO REGISTER please click here, or visit the website www.irglobalrankings.com. To learn more, access our 2012 Information Package with all the details on IRGR rankings. More than 90 European and North American companies have already registered for the 2012 IR Global Rankings, among them (in alphabetical order): Adecco SA (ADEN:VX); AEGON N.V. (AGN-NA); Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd. (AEM); Akamai Technologies, Inc. (AKAM); Alternet Systems, Inc. (ALYI); Amer Sports (AMEAS); American Public Education, Inc. (GIB.A); Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO); Danske Bank A/S (DANSKE); Delhaize Group (DELB); Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS); Erste Group Bank AG (ERST.VI); EVN AG (EVNV.VI); EVRAZ plc (EVR); FedEx Corp. (FDX); Ferrovial S.A. (FER); Fluor (FLR); (Frankfurt: FRA GR); Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (FME); Galp Energia (GALP); Garanti Bank (GARAN); Gazprom Neft (SIBN); General Electric (GE); Gruppo Campari (CPR); Hannover Re (HNR1); Hera (HER IM); Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc. (HTGC); Hess Corporation (HES); Hexagon AB (HEXA B); HSBC Holdings plc (HSBA); Imtech (IM); Indesit Company SpA (IND. IM); ING Groep (INGA); Intel (INTC); Interactive Brokers (IBKR); Kennametal Inc. (KMT); Life Technologies (LIFE); Microsoft (MSFT); Millenniumbcp (BCP.LS); MorphoSys AG (MOR); Mota-Engil, SGPS (EGL PL); MPC Capital AG (MPC); National Bank of Canada (NA-T); NextEra Energy (NEE); NIS a.d. (POT); PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG); Procter & Gamble (PG); RBS (RBS); Royal Dutch Shell plc. (RDSA, RDSB); Ryder System, Inc. (R); Severstal (SVST); Software AG (ISIN DE0003304002); Sopra Group (SOP); Stanley Black & Decker (SWK); Tav Airports Holding (TAVHL); Technip (TEC); The Cooper Companies (COO); The Hertz Corporation (HTZ); ThyssenKrupp AG (TKA); TURK TELEKOM (TTKOM); UCB (UCB); Unisys (UIS); UPS (UPS); URS Corporation (URS); Veidekke ASA (VEI); Vienna Insurance Group AG Wiener Versich (VIG); and Viscofan (Vis.sm). 1) Unique Ranking System: IRGR is the sole investor relations ranking system based on technical reviews (not opinion surveys or polls) and is supported by the input of audit and legal experts. IRGR is a unique way to have an external review and positioning of your investor relations and financial communications efforts among best practices among leading companies worldwide. 2) Individual Feedback: Participants that choose to acquire the individual feedback report will receive detailed suggestions for improvements where applicable. This report can be later discussed in a private conference call with the IRGR staff, upon request by the participating company. 3) Solid Benchmarking: By registering for IRGR, your company will be ranked among companies worldwide in all industries. Our extensive client base allows us to identify, rank and disclose the best IR communication programs in the world. Only positive examples are publicly disclosed. 4) High Transparency: Evaluation criteria and results are available on the IRGR website. IRGR analysts are responsible for performing a thorough analysis and an independent technical committee will review them in their entirety; 5) Great Recognition: Best ranked companies will be recognized in Award Ceremonies around the world. IRGR widely discloses top ranked companies through global media wires, mailings and social networks. Best cases will also be highlighted in the IR Global Rankings magazine that is freely distributed in the capital markets community. Contact: IR Global Rankings Team NY: 1-212-813-2975 SP: 55-11-3529-3706 About IR Global Rankings: Solid communication with the investment community is a key priority for investor relations and corporate governance professionals, once value creation (stock prices) and risk perception can be managed. The implementation of best practices in communicating with the capital markets and fair disclosure procedures do help companies in earning and maintaining investor confidence. The annual IR Global Rankings and Awards Survey is the most comprehensive auditing and ranking system for IR websites, corporate governance practices and financial disclosure procedures - a great opportunity to benchmark IR efforts vis-à-vis peers and industry leaders. Based on extensive proprietary research of publicly held companies and investors, and supported by input from an independent audit, corporate governance and legal experts, IR Global Rankings' (www.irglobalrankings.com) methodology is highly detailed, transparent and fully accessible to all participants. The annual IR Global Rankings and Awards has grown each year since 1999. SOURCE IR Global Rankings