| Area of specialisation |
|
|---|---|
| Faculty / key office |
|
| Education |
|
International teaching and industry experience
Helen is an Otago alumnus. She completed her MSc at the University of British Columbia, worked and taught in Vancouver Island before returning to Dunedin to complete her PhD.
She has authored over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles in a wide range of scholarly journals and is a Director of the Climate Energy Finance Research Group at the University of Otago.
Research
Helen has a passion for understanding governance across a range of organisations. Her research examines the impact of diversity on firm performance and risk. She has examined how representation and transparency can influence corporate social responsibility disclosures and the effect of regulation on firm outcomes.
Her research has also examined the importance of gender diversity in firm disclosures and the benefits that come from having more women in decision-making roles.
Why you enjoy teaching in the MBA programme?
Being able to efficiently source and understand information is critical for business leaders. Our Otago MBA students are vested in learning so that they can apply knowledge that brings timely solutions to organisations and have global impact. They challenge conventional thinking and are always open to using new approaches to problem solving.
It is a challenging and stimulating environment to learn from and teach into.
Global perspective in her thinking
Accounting disclosures provide critical financial data about a business. Analysing the information contained in financial statements and using that data to assess management strategy and financial performance are valuable tools. Making timely investment decisions, analysing and understanding key drivers of business success are important skills that students can bring to organisational leadership. Managing the financial health of an organisation is critical to achieving long-term goals that add value beyond the bottom line. These tools apply across all countries and are pertinent to both firms with a multinational presence and those operating in their local market.