Annual report builds on a firm foundation to look toward the future

You don’t have to know everything about options to appreciate the approach of Options Clearing Corporation’s 2011 annual report. Titled “Statements from a forward-looking company,” the report eschews “lofty predictions of what might happen in the future” and instead bases its case for growth on its performance during the previous year. Its cover shot of OCC’s Chicago office from street level, looking up toward a blue sky, reinforces its emphasis on stability and future goals. Full-page photos of five key members of OCC’s leadership team give the report a personal feel, along with brief statements by each officer on the corporation’s commitment to moving forward.

As might be expected, the report is packed with numbers, charts and photos, but the facts are laid out in a clear format that’s easy to take in whether the reader is giving it just a glance or a longer look. “Because we stand on solid ground, we can make some pretty impressive statements” is how the report’s “Message to the Membership” opens, and the eight-page letter looks at OCC’s past, present and future in clear, coherent prose. The financial data itself may be clearest to professionals, but its layout on the pages that follow the letter is uncomplicated and easy to peruse visually.

OCC’s senior PR specialist Angela Kotso, along with staff members Dawn Combs and Leisha Nicol, wanted to emphasize the nonprofit company’s secure foundation and the exceptional growth of the options market. The result is an attractive, informative report that allows OCC and its leaders to speak directly to a diverse audience of OCC’s member firms, partner banks, industry constituents and others.

We congratulate Angela Kotso and her team for taking top honors in the Annual Report (Print) category of the 2012 PR Daily Awards.

To view the winning work, please click here.