Investor Relations (IR) is the field of corporate communications specializing in information & disclosure management for public and private companies as they communicate with the investment community at large.

It closely relates to the duties of a Corporate Secretary, but also shares responsibilities with the Chief Financial Officer as needed. Depend on the company structures, IR function might be under Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Public Relations, or Corporate Communications departments.

Most public-listed companies have dedicated IR officers (IROs) to oversee the following aspects:
• shareholder meetings
• press conferences
• private meetings with investors (known as "one-on-one" briefings)
• IR sections of company websites
• company annual reports
• shareholders & investors inquiries
• transmission of information relating to intangible values such as the company's policy on corporate governance or corporate social responsibility

Recently, IR has trended toward an increasingly popular movement for "interactive data", and the management of company filings through streaming-data solutions in forms of electronic disclosure which become prevalent topics of discussion amongst leading IROs worldwide.

IROs must be able to assess the various patterns of stock-trading that a public company may experience, often as the result of a public disclosure (or any research reports issued by financial analysts). Most will have top-level access to the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman or President to ensure that the image of the corporation is maintained in a cohesive fashion.

The IROs must be aware of current and upcoming issues that an organization may face, particularly those that relate to fiduciary duty and organizational impact. And due to the potential impact of legal liability claims awarded by courts, and the consequential impact on the company's share price, IR often has a role in Crisis Management  for example, corporate downsizing, changes in management or internal structure, product liability issues and industrial disasters.

Note: The most highly-regarded professional member organization for IR:
• United States = the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI)
• United Kingdom = the Investor Relations Society
• Canada = the Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI)
• Australia = the Australian Investor Relations Association (AIRA)
• Malaysia = Malaysian Investor Relations Association (MIRA)