Centre Directors

Stewart Leech

Professorial Fellow

• Phone number +61 3 8344 5314
• Email saleech@unimelb.edu.au
• Profile View profile

• Research Expertise:
• Business Information Systems
• Audit and Corporate Recovery/Insolvency
• Intelligent Systems

Stewart's consulting and research expertise spans the areas of business information systems, audit and corporate recovery/insolvency. His research agenda in corporate recovery/insolvency include four large Commonwealth Government grants from the Australian Research Council (the current project attracted $432,000), all of which involve major accounting firms in Australia and overseas. Other recent projects include work on audit support systems with audit firms; an international study for CIMA UK on the effect of ERP Systems on Management Accounting; and the alignment between Business Strategy and IT Strategy in the Motor Industry.

Stewart has a substantial international reputation with work for the American Accounting Association and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (ICAA); and extensive academic experience as the inaugural Professor of Accounting and Business Information Systems at the University of Melbourne and Head of Department; and Professor and Head of the School of Accounting at the University of Tasmania for many years. As well as a Fellow of ICAA and CPA Australia. He has won several international awards for his research and scholarship; and recently was presented with the Meritorious Service Award by ICAA for his outstanding service to the profession and in particular to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.

For over 30 years, both in Australia and internationally, Michael has led industry engaged research projects in data analytics, business intelligence, financial reporting, risk management, data governance and ethics, among others.

His work has included collaborations with the Australian Accounting Standards Board, CPA Australia, EY, Microsoft, NAB, and PETRONAS, among others and led to over 50 published academic papers and industry reports.

With substantial board level experience with several privately held entities and in the not-for-profit sector, Michael is a sought-after speaker for executive education and industry forums. Michael is a member of CPA Australia’s Centre of Excellence in Digital Transformation, Michael’s extensive academic career builds on prior professional experience with PwC and Rio Tinto, and combines expertise in accounting, Information Technology, and decision sciences.

Dr Stuart Black worked in professional services for over thirty years. As a management consultant, Stu delivered strategy, operations improvement and strategic use of IT assignments for Fortune 500 (AXA, Coles, Conoco/Phillips, Exxon, General Motors, GS-Caltex, LVMH, Nomura, Petronas, Wesfarmers) large national firms (Air New Zealand, ANZ Bank, Australia Post, Bank Danamon, Commonwealth Bank, EnergyAustralia, Intuit, Mashreqbank, Siam Commercial Bank, Suncorp, Telstra, Transfield, Westpac) and federal (UK, Australian Commonwealth) and state (New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria) governments.

Stu also had experience working industry-side, with National Australia Bank.

Immediately prior to returning to academia, Stu was a senior partner of Deloitte Australia, where he had responsibility for revitalising traditional service offerings through the introduction of analytics. In addition to delivering analytics services embedded in client service teams, Stu and the team he developed was responsible for many of Deloitte Australia’s innovative offerings.

Stu continues to work with commercial organisations to identify opportunities for competitive advantage through data, shape data strategies, and develop data analytics teams.

Stu’s research focuses on the secondary use of data, disruption, and business model innovation. Stu also is interested in understanding how data and analytics impacts the accounting profession. Stu currently has research underway on topics such as how professional firms monetise data, the use of process analytics to improve audit quality outcomes, and the application of valence theory on board member statements about the secondary use of data.

In addition to the scholarly works noted below, Stu has three manuscripts in the peer review process: “Data Governance and the Secondary Use of Data: The Board Influence”, “Factors Influencing Organizational Strategic Decision Making about the Secondary Use of Data”, and “Factors Influencing successful Business Model Innovation Enabled by Digital Technology”. Stu is also a guest editor for the upcoming special issue on “Advanced Technologies and Decision Support for Audit” for the International Journal of Accounting Information Systems.

Stu’s teaching focusses on critical skills in data and analytics. Stu currently teaches “Managing IT” at the post-graduate level and provides other specialist seminars. Stu has also taught “Disruption in Business” and “Leading Disruption” to undergraduate business students and “Analytics in Practice” to post-graduate business and analytics students.