Leadership and Staff
Professor Margaret Abernethy
Director, Senior Faculty
Professor Margaret Abernethy holds the Sir Douglas Copland Chair of Commerce and Chair of Managerial Accounting. She is a leading researcher in budgeting, performance management, compensation design and a range of other corporate governance issues. Professor Abernethy has received in excess of $3 million in competitive research grants, provided expert advice to both the public and private sector, as well as serving on a number of boards. She has previously served as the Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics and is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.
Professor Ian Gow
Director, Senior Faculty
Professor Ian Gow is Professor of Accounting in the Faculty of Business and Economics. Prior to joining the Centre in July 2017, Professor Gow had served on the faculties of Harvard Business School, where he taught in the MBA, doctoral, and executive education programs, and Kellogg School of Management. Professor Gow's research examines a wide range of topics in corporate governance, including governance ratings, executive compensation, and the impact of activist investors. He received a PhD in Business from Stanford University, an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School, and Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws degrees from UNSW. Prior to entering academia, Professor Gow worked at Morgan Stanley, General Motors, Stern Stewart and Anderson Consulting.
Professor Michael Davern
Professor Michael Davern holds the Chair of Accounting and Business Information Systems. With corporate experience, including roles at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Rio Tinto Aluminium, and as a director/trustee with several privately held investment companies, Professor Davern has been recognised for his engagement with industry, receiving the Vice-Chancellor’s Knowledge Transfer Excellence Award. This has included engagements with nab, CUA, PETRONAS and Radisson Hotels among others. His research explores enterprise risk management, managerial decision making, and the role of technology in business, with a particular focus on business/data analytics. Professor Davern is also an Honorary Professor of Computing and Information Systems at the Melbourne School of Engineering.
Associate Professor Flora Kuang
Associate Professor Flora Kuang is an Associate Professor of Accounting in the Faculty of Business and Economics. Prior to joining the University of Melbourne, Associate Professor Kuang was an Assistant Professor of Accounting at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. With expertise in corporate governance, including executive compensation, the impact of social capital and reporting quality, Associate Professor Kuang has published widely on corporate governance issues. She received her PhD in Accounting from Tilburg University.
Ayman Shash
Senior Projects & Research Officer
Ayman Shash contributes to the development and delivery of projects and engagement initiatives, as well as coordinating the administration of the centre and providing research assistance to the Centre Directors. He is a Juris Doctor Candidate at Melbourne Law School.
Feilian Wang
Research Officer
Feilian Wang contributes to the research projects of the centre. With previous experience as an analyst in corporate banking, Feilian holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting & Finance) with First Class Honours in Accounting from the University of Melbourne. She is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Accounting.
James Kavourakis
Research Officer
James Kavourakis contributes to the research projects of the centre, drawing upon several years' experience as an investment manager at a private investment fund. Holding degrees in Law and Commerce with First Class Honours in Accounting from the University of Melbourne, he is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Accounting.
Christopher Stewart
Research Officer
Christopher Stewart contributes to the research projects of the centre. With previous experience as a financial analyst and equity analyst, Chris holds a degree from Laurentian University, Canada and an MBA (Finance) from Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada. He is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Accounting.
Benjamin Callen
Research Assistant (Data Science)
Benjamin contributes to the development and management of the centre's data science capabilities. He holds a PhD in physics with a strong background in pure and applied mathematics.
Daniela Carrasco
Research Assistant (Data Science)
Daniela contributes to the development and management of the centre's data science capabilities.
David Cochrane-Davis
Research Assistant (Data Science)
David supports the development and management of the centre's data science capabilities.