Helen BOLLAERT

Professor Helen BOLLAERT is a permanent Professor of Finance and Accounting at SKEMA Business School, France. She previously served as Research Dean (2016–2020) and Head of the European Centre for Corporate Control Studies (ECCCS, 2013–2016). Her academic journey includes a BSc from the University of Surrey (UK), an MSc from ESCP Business School (France, 1989), a PhD from Université de Lille (2011), and an HDR (Habilitation) in 2016. Prior to academia, she worked in financial audit at Arthur Andersen and EY.

Her research focuses on behavioral corporate finance, CEO psychology, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and executive compensation. Notable contributions include studies on CEO narcissism in takeovers, cross-cultural M&A dynamics, and ethical leadership. She leads the FAIRR Research Center at SKEMA and holds editorial roles in journals like Journal of Corporate Finance.

Awards include the 2017 AFFI Best Conference Paper in Finance, Ethics, and Sustainability and the 2012 Prix de Thèse from Université de Lille. She has advised numerous PhD theses, including directing H. PASCAIL’s work. Her research bridges finance, governance, and leadership, addressing topics like post-Covid gender disparities in academia and fintech innovations.