The Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI) today acknowledged its gratitude for the immense contribution of Ron Blunn, who lost his battle with cancer at age 56 on June 14.

Blunn was an experienced professional, a trusted advisor, a standard setter for improved disclosure to investors and a friend to many in the world of business communications.

Blunn was a former Washington bureau editor and managing editor of the Financial Times of Canada. During his tenure there, Blunn and his team developed Investment Executive, the trade publication for stockbrokers and financial planners; the Penguin Books Personal Finance Library; and the Mutual Fund Sourcebook.

Prior to founding Blunn & Co., an investor relations consulting firm, he managed the communications and marketing functions for The R-M Trust Company and was managing partner, RT Investor Relations Associates, part of Royal Trust. He was a regular contributor to the National Post and author of Benchmarks and Best Practices, The Annual Report Idea Book.

At CIRI, Blunn authored numerous regulatory bulletins and other publications for CIRI members. He was a director of CIRI’s Ontario chapter from 1994 to 1998, and its president in 1995-1996. He chaired CIRI’s annual financial reporting seminar for six years and was a Director of CIRI from 1995 to 2000. As an Officer of the Board from 2001 to 2005, he chaired CIRI’s issues committee.

Tom Merinsky, vp of Investor Relations at Finning International and chairman of CIRI, said, “CIRI has lost a very good friend in Ron. He was one of the key people behind the success of CIRI and his ongoing support over many years helped build CIRI into the strong organization it is today. All of us who had the pleasure of working with Ron appreciated his warmth, his humour and his considerable professional knowledge. Put simply, Ron was a great guy. He will be missed.”