"Institutional Investor" Unveils Europe's Best Investor Relations Rankings

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - May 11, 2009) - Actelion, Banco Santander, and Nokia Corp. are among the companies that provide Europe's Best Investor Relations, according to investment professionals who participated in "Institutional Investor's" annual survey.

The Swiss biotechnology firm, Spanish global bank, and Finnish cellular phone manufacturer are the only companies identified as leaders in their respective sectors for a second straight year by both buy- and sell-side analysts, whose votes were tallied separately. The survey covers 33 sectors in seven industry groups.

To view the winning companies in all 33 sectors in seven industry groups, visit www.iimagazine.com.

Investors' expectations are changing, and companies must respond accordingly, says José Antonio Álvarez, Banco Santander's chief financial officer.

"As a result of the crisis, investor focus has shifted from new projects to the balance sheet," observes Álvarez. "The market wants to understand liquidity."

To aid them in that understanding, the Spanish bank disclosed in its risk report for 2007, as the subprime mortgage market in the U.S. was collapsing, that it had no exposure to subprime mortgages and only EUR 25 million ($32.6 million) in exposure to collateralized debt obligations.

This year's ranking of Europe's Best Investor Relations is based on the opinions of 430 portfolio managers and investment officers at nearly 275 firms managing $3 trillion in pan-European equities and 820 sell-side analysts at more than 125 firms.

More information can be found on our Web site, www.iimagazine.com.

For more information about this ranking, please contact Michele Bickford at mbickford@iiresearchgroup.com or (212) 224-3360.

About Institutional Investor

Now entering its fifth decade, "Institutional Investor" has consistently distinguished itself among the world's foremost financial publications with ground-breaking journalism and incisive writing that provides "must read" intelligence for a global audience. Three editions of the magazine are published: Americas, International and Asia. In addition, throughout the year "Institutional Investor" offers a host of proprietary research and rankings that serve as respected industry benchmarks, informing and influencing its carefully targeted circulation base throughout the year. For more information visit www.iimagazine.com.

Contact Information: Contact: Michele Bickford mbickford@iiresearchgroup.com (212) 224-3360