High Touch Investor Relations, a boutique investor relations firm based in New York providing high-quality, transformative investor relations services, announced today that Laura Kiernan, Founder and CEO has joined the Council for Inclusive Capitalism. The Council is a global nonprofit organization that joins moral and market imperatives to build a more inclusive, sustainable, and trusted economic system that addresses the needs of our people and the planet.

“I am thrilled to welcome Laura Kiernan and High Touch Investor Relations to the Council, and look forward to working with them as they take the necessary actions to ensure a better future for us all,” said Meredith Sumpter, CEO of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism. “Whether you run a small business, a mid-sized company, or are the CEO of a global corporation, we all have a role to play to build more inclusive economies and societies.”

“As an entrepreneur that works with companies and founders on their capital markets journeys, I am thrilled to join this movement to help make the world more inclusive, fair and sustainable,” said Laura Kiernan, Founder and CEO of High Touch Investor relations. “We are committed to helping educate, enable, coach and guide our clients that help us answer our “why” – our reason for being. As a business, we are focused on profit, but equally important to us is to generate returns that can not be measured in dollars and cents.”

The Council for Inclusive Capitalism is rooted in action. The Council is led by CEOs and global leaders who commit their organizations to specific actions that create long-term value for all stakeholders.

Council members are accountable for their actions. Members' commitments are measurable and made public on the Council's online platform. These commitments are intended to motivate and challenge others to bring their own reform ideas to the movement.

The Council is inclusive. Council members lead organizations of all sizes, across all sectors and geographies. It will take the conscious and collective action of all Council members—from industry leaders to mid-caps to small business owners—to scale the impact needed for capitalism to become more inclusive and sustainable.

The Council was launched in December 2020 with the belief that businesses have a responsibility and the capability to create stronger, fairer, and more dynamic economies and societies. Council membership is open to all companies and organizations who are willing to make measurable, public commitments toward more inclusive and sustainable business practices. You can see the full list of Council members here.

The Council is led by a core group of leaders which include:

Ajay Banga, Executive Chairman, Mastercard

Oliver Bäte, Chairman of the Board of Management, Allianz SE

Marc Benioff, Chair, Chief Executive Officer, and Co-founder, Salesforce

Edward Breen, Executive Chairman, Dupont

Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation

Mark Carney, United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance, and Financial Advisor to the Prime Minister for COP26

Carmine Di Sibio, Global Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, EY

Brunello Cucinelli, Executive Chairman and Creative Director, Brunello Cucinelli S.p.A.

Roger Ferguson, Former President and Chief Executive Officer, TIAA

Lynn Forester de Rothschild, Founder and Managing Partner, Inclusive Capital Partners

Kenneth Frazier, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Merck & Co., Inc.

Fabrizio Freda, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Estée Lauder Companies

Marcie Frost, Chief Executive Officer, CalPERS

Alex Gorsky, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Johnson & Johnson

Angel Gurria, Secretary General, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Alfred Kelly, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Visa Inc.

William Lauder, Executive Chairman, The Estée Lauder Companies

Rich Lesser, Chief Executive Officer, Boston Consulting Group

Bernard Looney, Chief Executive Officer, BP

Fiona Ma, Treasurer, State of California

Hiro Mizuno, Member of the Board, Principles for Responsible Investment

Brian Moynihan, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Bank of America

Ronald P. O’Hanley, President and Chief Executive Officer, State Street Corporation

Rajiv Shah, President, The Rockefeller Foundation

Tidjane Thiam, Special Envoy on COVID-19, African Union

Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation

Mark Weinberger, Former Chair and CEO of EY, and Board member of J&J, MetLife, and Saudi Aramco

About the Council for Inclusive Capitalism:

The Council for Inclusive Capitalism is a global nonprofit organization established to harness the potential of the private sector to create a more inclusive, sustainable, and trusted form of capitalism. The Council is guided by His Eminence Cardinal Peter Turkson, who leads the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development at the Vatican and is led by a core group of global CEOs and public leaders who convene annually with the Vatican to advance the Council’s mission. Further information can be found at www.inclusivecapitalism.com.

About High Touch Investor Relations:

Strategic Transformative Investor Relations

High Touch Investor Relations (HTIR) is a boutique Investor Relations firm based in New York. HTIR provides high-quality, transformative investor relations services for public companies and capital raising consulting and services for private companies.

In the public markets, HTIR provides Investor Relations services through its proprietary 5-step transformative IR Plan™, to aid in successfully navigating the capital markets to achieve fair equity valuation. In the private markets, HTIR works primarily with small company founders and executives to develop capital raising strategies. Securities are offered through Finalis Securities LLC Member FINRA/SIPC.