Essex Finance Centre (EFiC) 2024 Conference in Banking and Corporate Finance

We solicit papers in the following areas, in alphabetical order, but other related areas may also be considered:

• Banking and financial services
• Behavioural finance
• Big data applied to banking and finance
• Climate finance
• Corporate finance
• Corporate governance
• Digital finance
• Diversity and women in finance
• Entrepreneurial finance
• Financial crisis and resolution
• Fintech and financial innovation
• International finance
• Monetary policy and central banking
• Non-bank financial intermediaries (NBFIs)
• Political economy of central banking
• Portfolio and risk management
• Rethinking of financial regulation and supervision
• SMEs financing

Bo Becker

Bo Becker is the Cevian Capital Professor of Finance in the Department of Finance at the Stockholm School of Economics and Director of the Swedish House of Finance. He previously worked at the University of Illinois and at Harvard Business School. Professor Becker has served as the department editor for finance at Management Science and an associate editor of the Review of Financial Studies, Management Science and Financial Management.

Professor Becker's research is on corporate finance, especially corporate credit markets. Recent topics include corporate bank lending and bond issuance through the business cycle, credit ratings, covenant structures of loans and bonds, in-court and out-of-court restructuring, and the impact of Covid-19 on corporate credit markets. His research has been published in the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Monetary Economics, the Journal of Financial Economics, the Review of Financial Studies and other journals. Professor Becker has been awarded several prizes and grants, including the Standard Life Prize for best paper in the ECGI Finance WP series, the Nordea Price for Best Corporate Finance Paper at the European Finance Association's annual meeting and the Lamfalussy Research Fellowship from the European Central Bank.

Navigating the PhD Journey and Career Pathways

PhD panel speakers

Professor Sonia Falconieri

Sonia Falconieri is Professor of Finance and Head of the Faculty of Finance at Bayes Business School. Professor Falconieri joined the faculty of Finance at in September 2009. Previously, she held academic positions in various institutions including the Einaudi Institute for Economic and Finance (EIEF) in Rome, the University of Amsterdam, Tilburg University, the University of Tor Vergata (Rome, Italy) and Brunel University (London). Her research interests are in Corporate Finance and Corporate Governance. Specifically, she has been working on the optimal design of Initial Public Offerings and, more recently, on gender diversity in Corporate Finance. Her articles have been published in some major journals such as the JEEA, the Review of Finance, and the Journal of Corporate Finance. Her recent work on gender quotas has been featured in numerous media outlets including People Management and Forbes. Dr Falconieri was also one of the contributors to the 2019 Hampton- Alexander review. Dr Falconieri received her bachelor’s and master’s degree in economics from Bocconi University, Milan (Italy) and holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Toulouse (France).

Professor Radu Tunaru

Radu Tunaru is Professor of Finance and Risk Management at the University of Sussex Business School, having taught at the University of Kent, UK from 2010 to 2019 and at Cass Business School in London from 2004 to 2010. He is the current Head of the Accounting and Finance Department. Tunaru is on the Associate Editor Board of the Journal of Derivatives and the Journal of Portfolio Management, and he served as an associate editor for the Journal of Banking and Finance. He published Model Risk in Financial Markets (World Scientific Publishing) and Real Estate Derivatives (Oxford University Press) and co-edited Preparing for the Next Financial Crisis (Cambridge University Press). He co-authored several papers with Robert Shiller, the Nobel laureate for Economics in 2013. He conducted consulting for various banks, hedge- funds, start-ups and executive training houses including Lloyds and London Financial Studies.

Professor John O.S. Wilson

John O.S. Wilson is Professor of Banking and Finance and Head of the Department of Finance at the Business School, University of St Andrews. He is also the Director of the Centre for Responsible Banking & Finance. He is also a Member of Scientific Advisory Board of Chartered Association of Business Schools Academic Journal Guide. Previously, he was Treasurer and General Secretary of the British Accounting and Finance Association during the period 2009-2011, and the founding Chair of the British Accounting and Finance Association Financial Markets and Institutions Special Interest Group over the period 2007-2018. John serves as Editor to Journal of Business Finance and Accounting and Associate Editor to the Journal of Money Credit and Banking, Journal of Financial Stability, British Accounting Review, European Journal of Finance and Finance Research Letters. He also serves on the editorial board of a number of journals including the Journal of Financial Economic Policy and the Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance.

Conference committee

Claudia Girardone, Sotirios Kokas, Anna Sarkisyan (Essex Business School)
Paola Brighi (University of Milan)
Maria Letizia Guerra (University of Bologna), Maurizio Mussoni (University of Bologna, RCEA)

Local organising committee

Maria Letizia Guerra (University of Bologna), Paola Brighi (University of Milan), Maurizio Mussoni (University of Bologna, RCEA), Carmelo Algeri (University of Bologna), Adriano Bellinvia (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia)

Scientific committee

Karim Abadir (Imperial College London, RCEA)
Rym Ayadi (Bayes Business School, EMANES)
Richard Baillie (Michigan State University, King’s College, RCEA)
Elena Beccalli (Catholic University of Milan)
Mascia Bedendo (University of Bologna)
Diana Bonfim (Banco de Portugal)
Udichibarna Bose (Essex Business School)
Fabio Braggion (Tilburg University)
Barbara Casu-Lukac (Bayes Business School)
Gilles Chemla (Imperial College London, RCEA)
Jerry Coakley (Essex Business School)
Paolo Coccorese (University of Salerno)
Douglas J Cumming (Florida State University)
Claudia Custodio (Imperial College London)
Manthos Delis (Audencia Business School)
Luísa Farinha (Banco de Portugal)
Franco Fiordelisi (Essex Business School)
Ralph de Haas (EBRD)
Vasso Ioannidou (Bayes Business School)
Neil Kellard (Essex Business School)
Alexandros Kontonikas (Essex Business School)
Thomas Lambert (Erasmus University)
Angela Maddaloni (European Central Bank)
Alexander Michaelides (Imperial College London)
Claudio Morana (University of Milano-Bicocca, RCEA)
Ekaterini Panopoulou (Essex Business School)
George Panos (University of Glasgow)
Fotios Pasiouras (Montpellier Business School)
Farzad Saidi (University of Bonn)
Michael Straughan (Bank of England)
Ian Tonks (University of Bristol)
Serafeim Tsoukas (University of Glasgow)
John O.S. Wilson (University of St Andrews)
Geoffrey Wood (Western University London Ontario)
Eliza Wu (University of Sydney Business School)
José Liñares-Zegarra (Essex Business School)
Valeria Venturelli (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia)

Interested authors should submit their paper by email to efic@essex.ac.uk by Monday 24 March 2025 using the following format for the file name: EFiC_SubmittingAuthorSurname_PaperTitle.pdf.

PhD students should indicate if their submission is for the PhD session, otherwise it will be considered for the main session.

Authors interested in the publication opportunity should indicate their interest in the submission email.

We strongly encourage early submissions. Periodic reviews of submissions will be conducted, therefore, it is possible for authors to receive decision notifications prior to the final decision deadline on Monday 7 April 2025.

Registration will open in due course.

*Until 19 May 2025

**Until 2 June 2025

• Submission deadline: Monday 24 March 2025
• Decision notification: Monday 7 April 2025
• Standard registration deadline: Monday 19 May 2025
• Late registration deadline: Monday 2 June 2025
• Conference dates: Thursday 26 June - Friday 27 June 2025

Below is a list of selected (but not exhaustive) accommodation options for the conference:

Wivenhoe House Hotel

To book, please email reservations and quote EFiC2024. Price £127 per night (bed and breakfast), subject to room availability.

Student Campus Accommodation

To book, please email or call on 01206872005 and quote EFiC Conference. Price £49 per night (room only) and £55 per night (bed and breakfast), booking must be made by the end of May 2024.

GreyFriars Hotel & Restaurant

Please visit the hotel's website to check availability and book directly.

Premier Inn Colchester Town Centre (Castle) Hotel

Please visit the hotel's website to check availability and book directly.