Belle Mulligan Scholarship

CIRI has partnered with the Richard Ivey School of Business, Canada's top ranking business school, to develop a program that will cover all relevant areas of the multi-disciplinary role of investor relations. This 10-month program will be delivered through a combination of online and face-to-face classes. Once individuals have successfully completed the program, they may write an examination offered through CIRI to become a certified investor relations professional. The program will commence in September.

The Belle Mulligan Scholarship will be awarded annually to one deserving individual for participation in the CIRI/Ivey Investor Relations Certification Program. This Scholarship will recognize individuals who have chosen investor relations (IR) as their career and are keen to participate in this program to help them excel in IR through a deeper knowledge of the key areas of this dynamic profession. This program recognizes the strategic nature of the IR role and supports CIRI’s mandate of raising the stature of the IR profession.

The Belle Mulligan Scholarship is given in honour of the late Belle Mulligan (1940-2009) who will long be remembered as a leader and standard setter in the IR profession, and a founder of CIRI. Her passion for IR began through her association with NIRI in the early 1970s. When she returned to Canada in 1981, she joined a small cadre of IR leaders here to develop NIRI Canada, now CIRI. She served on both the CIRI and NIRI Boards, and was a frequent speaker at IR events. She was respected for her integrity, which cemented her credibility, and she was cited by one analyst as "adding 10% to the valuation" of the senior gold mining company she represented. Her professionalism won her many admirers, and her engaging personality and generous heart won her a wide circle of friends. She was a mentor to many IROs, urging them to set their sights high within their organizations.

Belle Mulligan Scholarship Criteria

Scholarships are open to IR practitioners across Canada. In order to be considered for the scholarship applicants:

• must have at least three years investor relations experience* or have four years of related corporate experience and have participated in CIRI’s Essentials of IR program within the past 5 years;
• must be a member of CIRI; and
• be unable to secure corporate funding for CIRI’s Investor Relations Certification Program and the certification examination.

*Where 50% or more of your time was spent on investor relations.

Belle Mulligan Scholarship Selection Process

The applications will be reviewed by the Belle Mulligan Scholarship Selection Committee consisting of CIRI’s President & CEO, CIRI’s Vice President of Communications & Professional Development, Len Mulligan and Jane Watson. The successful applicant will be notified verbally by the end of May followed by enrollment confirmation.

It may not be appropriate to grant the scholarship every year. The scholarship should be granted only when there is a clearly deserving recipient. When bestowed, the scholarship will be presented at CIRI’s Annual Investor Relations Conference.

What to Expect if Awarded a Scholarship

This Scholarship covers the CIRI/Ivey Investor Relations Certification Program fee, which includes program materials, and the certification examination fee, valued at $9,200 for the program period.

What You Need to Do to Apply

To apply for the Belle Mulligan Scholarship please submit the following to Yvette Lokker, Vice President of Communications & Professional Development, at ylokker@ciri.org.

• A current CV.
• An essay outlining your ambitions in investor relations and why you are deserving of this scholarship.
• A letter of support from your employer, a client, or other appropriate business reference.
• A letter from your employer indicating that funding is not available in the current year for your enrolment in CIRI’s Investor Relations Certification Program and the certification examination.

The deadline for applications is May 15 of each year. The scholarship will be presented at CIRI's Annual Investor Relations Conference.

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Yvette Lokker.