Professor Sonia Falconieri takes up new senior role

Professor Sonia Falconieri has been appointed Head of the Faculty of Finance.

She joined Bayes in 2009 after stints at several European universities and Brunel University, having earned Bachelor and Master degrees in Economics from Bocconi University (Milan), and a PhD in Economics from the University of Toulouse.

Sonia is Course Director of the Bayes’ Master of Finance programme and currently teaches Corporate Finance and Valuation in the MSc Finance and MSc Corporate Finance programmes and a Corporate Finance module in the online MSc in Global Finance. Under her leadership, the MSc Finance has risen three places in the international ranking and is the School’s highest ranked degree.

She has undertaken extensive research on corporate finance and corporate governance and has studied the factors that contribute to the success of Initial Public Offerings, currently a hot topic with concerns about an apparent reluctance of some companies to list in London.

Sonia said: “I hope that my background in research around governance will help me provide effective and supportive leadership to the faculty and to contribute to the success of the wider school. Our priorities will continue to be making sure that we recruit and support top class academics and innovate and expand our programmes for both undergraduates and postgraduates.”

Sonia’s work on corporate gender diversity and quotas has been published in major journals and media outlets. Recognition of her expertise in this field came with her input into the 2019 Hampton-Alexander review, which studied trends in the presence of women in FTSE boardrooms – and links between diverse boards and company performance.

She is a Senior Higher Education Academy fellow and associate editor at the European Journal of Finance.

Her appointment comes after Professor Barbara Casu was elevated to the position of Deputy Dean.

She concluded: “I am thrilled to have the chance to build on Barbara’s great work supporting the great researchers and thinkers in the Faculty of Finance.”

Dean Professor Andre Spicer said: “This is an exciting time for the Faculty of Finance and Sonia has contributed significantly to that with her excellent research on high-profile issues and commitment to the Master’s in Finance programme.”