Ken Farnhill

Dr Ken Farnhill is a Lecturer at the Business School of Edinburgh Napier University. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and is a qualified Chartered Accountant, member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Scotland. His professional background includes roles at Deloitte LLP, Transport for London, and HM Treasury, spanning audit, policy, and public finance.

His educational background includes a B.A. (Hons), PG Cert, and CA qualification. His Ph.D. research focused on guilds and parish communities in late medieval East Anglia.

Dr Farnhill's research interests lie at the intersection of accounting, history, and public policy. He specializes in accounting history, particularly financial practices in medieval religious institutions such as Paisley Abbey and Furness Abbey. He also investigates governance, organizational culture, and digital transformation in modern business contexts. His work blends historical analysis with contemporary financial and management theory.

His recent publications explore the rental books of Scottish abbeys and the administrative systems of medieval monasteries. These works reflect a broader trend in his scholarship: applying modern accounting frameworks to historical institutions. He also contributes to pedagogical innovation, notably through a working group proposing a new sustainable teaching model for accounting and finance education.

• Chartered Accountant (ICAS)
• Ph.D., University of Cambridge
• Member of Deloitte audit team (2012–2015)
• Policy and finance roles at TfL and HM Treasury

Dr Farnhill actively supervises doctoral research, with current projects on digital transformation in Oman and food waste policy in Scotland. He has previously directed a Ph.D. on organizational culture and performance. He is also co-authoring research on the evolution of lecture-based teaching, suggesting a strong commitment to educational innovation.

He is involved in research themes related to 'Culture and Communities' at the university and contributes to interdisciplinary projects linking historical insight with modern governance challenges.