Europe's leading investor relations organization, the Investor Relations Society, has named PR Newswire's managing director of investor relations services Mark Hynes to its board of directors, it was announced today.

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Mark Hynes has 25 years experience in the financial news and information sector. As Managing Director of Investor Relations at PR Newswire, Hynes is responsible for developing regulatory disclosure solutions and strategies. The IRS develops programs, conferences and networking events, to enable its more than 600 members to stay abreast of the ever-changing regulatory landscape and continually enhance their knowledge of best practices in investor relations.

"The IRS plays an important role in the education of IR professionals in the U.K. and across Europe. I am very honored to be appointed to its board of directors," said Hynes. "The regulatory environment in Europe is undergoing some very important changes and there is a lot of information that IROs are required to understand. I have spent a good deal of time over the past three years speaking with IROs about how these changes affect them and I look forward to being able to do this in a more formal way through the IRS."

Hynes has been working closely with the IRS for the past five years. He is a member of the IRS Policy Committee, a frequent contributor to IRS publications including Informed and the IRS Bulletin, and has moderated many of the organization's professional development programs on regulatory matters. Hynes is also a member of the Committee of European Securities Regulators Working Group on the Transparency Directive and is often called upon by industry and business publications to comment on the nuances of this and many other Directives.

Prior to joining PR Newswire, Hynes was a Board Director of the Financial Times, and spent 18 years in continental Europe, the US and Asia, developing electronic financial news businesses in different regions. Prior to this, Hynes worked at the Economist, which he joined after training as an investment banker.

Hynes joins other leading IR experts currently on the board of directors of IRS including Chairman Diane Faulks, Citigroup Depository Receipt Services; Andrew Mann, BAE Systems; Lynda Ashton, J Sainsbury PLC; Raghnall Craighead, National Australian Bank; Richard Davies, RD:IR; Claire Jenkins, Gallaher Group Plc; Gary Leibowitz, SAB Miller plc; Jill Sherratt, Yell Group; Al Loehnis, Investis; Keith Russell, Stora Enso Oyj; Michael Mitchell, First Group; Peregrine Riviere, The Carphone Warehouse Group plc and Ian Arnold, MFI.

About PR Newswire

Now in its 51st year, PR Newswire Association LLC (http://www.prnewswire.com/) provides electronic distribution, targeting, measurement, translation and broadcast services on behalf of some 40,000 corporate, government, association, labor, non-profit, and other customers worldwide. Using PR Newswire, these organizations reach a variety of critical audiences including the news media, the investment community, government decision-makers, and the general public with their up-to-the-minute, full-text news developments.

Established in 1954, PR Newswire has offices in 11 countries and routinely sends its customers' news to outlets in 135 countries and in 30 languages. Utilizing the latest in communications technology, PR Newswire content is considered a mainstay among news reporters, investors and individuals who seek breaking news from the source. PR Newswire's leading services include Disclose, ProfNet Experts(SM), eWatch™, MEDIAtlas™, NewsPrompt™, Search Engine Visibility (SEV) and MultiVu™. PR Newswire is a subsidiary of United Business Media plc of London.

About The Investor Relations Society

The Investor Relations Society is the UK's professional body for Investor Relations practitioners. The IRS's membership base comprises individuals working both for listed companies and their advisers, and includes the majority of FTSE 100 and FTSE 250, as well as a growing number of smaller listed companies, and those located outside the UK.

CONTACT: Rachel (Asche) Meranus, Director of Public Relations, PR Newswire, +1-212.282.1929 or rachel.meranus@prnewswire.com

SOURCE: PR Newswire Association LLC