Rate My Professor Van Zyl

Warrick Van Zyl is an Associate Professor of Accounting in the Business School at the University of Western Australia. An accounting professional with over 25 years of experience in accounting, management, and teaching across a broad range of sectors and roles, including Big 4 accounting firms, investment banking, academia, and start-up businesses, he holds a PhD in Accounting (financial accounting and accounting for employee stock options) from the University of Cape Town (awarded 2010), Bachelor of Accountancy and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of the Witwatersrand, Higher Diploma in Company Law from the University of the Witwatersrand, National Certificate in Datametrics from the University of South Africa, and is a qualified Chartered Accountant. His career history includes Executive Director at Ernst & Young (2009-2016), Lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand (2005-2008), Franchisee at Boston City Campus (2003-2004), Group Financial Manager at Corpcapital (2001-2002), Manager at Ernst & Young (1998-2001), and Junior Lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand (1997). Currently at UWA, he provides teaching, research, and strategic leadership in accounting and serves as Director of External Engagement, leading interactions with the Perth and international business communities.

Van Zyl's research interests revolve around accounting standards, with particular focus on financial instruments, share-based payments, mining, executive remuneration, non-GAAP reporting measures, diluted earnings per share, extractive industries, conditional conservatism, and professional scepticism. Key publications include 'A Toolkit for Developing Professional Skepticism in the Accounting Classroom' (2025, with Agrawal, Birt, Holub), 'Fixing diluted earnings per share: Recognising the dilutive effects of employee stock options' (2022, with Uliana), 'Professional scepticism and the accounting classroom' (2021, with Agrawal, Birt, Holub), 'The State of Executive Remuneration Disclosure in Australia' (2021, with Maher, Wee), and 'Conditional accounting conservatism: Exploring the impact of changes in institutional frameworks in four countries' (2020, with Moy, Heaney, Tarca). He received the Best Emerging Scholar Presentation award at the UWA UQ Accounting and Finance Forum (2016) and a $20,000 CAANZ Research Grant (2016). His impact includes presentations at the International Accounting Standards Board research forum (2021, on diluted earnings per share) and Australian Accounting Standards Board research forum (2016, on financial instruments), a public lecture 'Accounting for financial instruments with characteristics of debt and equity: Finding a way forward' (2017), and contributions to funded projects on non-GAAP reporting and executive remuneration disclosure.