The School of Finance and Accounting (SFA) at the University of Westminster hosted its third Finance and Accounting (F&A) Annual Research Symposium on 15 and 16 June 2023, with the theme of diversity in Finance and Accounting.
The symposium comprised a total of 15 sessions with just as many session chairs and 58 presenters. The event benefited from three keynote speakers. The academic keynote speaker was Professor Daniel Ferreira, Head of Department and Professor of Finance at the London School of Economics, and the industry keynote speakers were Jason Buwanabala, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Senior Manager at PwC, and Kasia Jazeel, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager at PwC.
Dr Sheeja Sivaprasad, Principal Lecturer in Finance in the Westminster Business School and organiser of the symposium, said: “The fields of finance and accounting play a critical and transformational role in equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). This symposium provided an opportunity to explore some of these key challenges, opportunities and resolutions of the concept of diversity in the fields of finance and accounting.
“Empowering people and ensuring diversity and inclusivity in all areas will ensure that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), in particular goal 5 on gender equality and goal 10 on reduced inequality, are achieved. This event is especially important for a business school as it shows the institution’s commitment to realise the sustainable development goals through responsible management education.”
In recent times, diversity in finance and accounting has attracted attention from investors, regulators, fund managers, businesses, corporations, financial services and accounting bodies. The symposium examined a wide range of key finance, data analytics and accounting topics, ranging from sustainable asset pricing, corporate finance, financial econometrics, forecasting, fund management, market sentiment, sustainable development, thematic investing, financial reporting, accounting standards, taxation to big data and data analytics.
A truly international event, the symposium received a total of 123 submissions from Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Hongkong, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordon, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Republic of Cog, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, USA, UK and Uzbekistan.
Learn more about Accounting and Finance courses at the University of Westminster.
