Rate My Professor Helen Roberts

Professor Helen Roberts is a Professor in the Department of Accountancy and Finance at the University of Otago, part of the Otago Business School. She earned her BSc (Hons 1), Postgraduate Diploma in Commerce, and PhD from the University of Otago, along with an MSc in Finance from the University of British Columbia. An Otago alumnus, Roberts completed her MSc abroad, then worked and taught on Vancouver Island before returning to Dunedin to pursue her doctorate. In her current roles, she serves as Deputy Head of the Department of Accountancy and Finance, Associate Dean of Research (part-time) for the Otago Business School, Director of the Master of Finance programme, and Deputy Director of the Climate Energy Finance Research Group. She provides guidance on postgraduate studies in finance, including BCom (Honours), Diploma for Graduates, and Postgraduate Diploma in Finance.

Roberts specializes in corporate governance, examining CEO compensation, firm performance, and the role of board gender diversity in governance and decision-making. Her research also addresses energy finance, climate change impacts on firm value, gender pay equity, corporate social responsibility disclosures, financial adequacy for retirees, and microfinance. With over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, key publications include 'Board Gender Diversity and Investment Efficiency: Evidence from UK Private Firms' (Zhang et al., 2026, Accounting in Europe), 'Expand or Avoid: Microfinance Credit Risk and Climate Vulnerability' (Ahmed et al., 2026, Research in International Business & Finance), 'Private Firm Performance: Do Women Directors Matter?' (Sattar et al., 2023), and 'Does Women's Board Representation Affect Non-Managerial Gender Inequality?' (Biswas et al., 2021). Her influential work has been cited by the World Bank, European Parliamentary Research Service, ASEAN Development Bank, and Australian government. Awards include the 2020 NZX Award for Outstanding Research with Practical Application to New Zealand Capital Markets, MBIE Best Corporate Governance Study, FMCG Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility Prize, Otago Business School Early Career Researcher Excellence Award (2007), and Commerce Supervisor of the Year (2019, finalist 2020). She teaches FINC 303 Financial Management and FINC 425 Governance Issues in Finance, and has supervised 76 postgraduates, including 15 PhDs.