By Beth Gormley, Communications and PR Manager, UCD College of Business

Dublin, Ireland— UCD College of Business announces that Professor Niamh Brennan is one of 22 business school faculty honuored by AACSB International (AACSB)—the world’s largest business education alliance—as the 2024 Class of Influential Leaders. 

The annual initiative recognizes notable alumni and faculty from AACSB-accredited business schools whose work inspires positive change in the business world and society at large, and this year’s class features faculty leading impact through their research.

Professor Brennan is currently the Michael MacCormac Professor of Management at UCD College of Business and the founder and academic director of the UCD Center for Corporate Governance. Her research interests are in financial reporting (accounting narratives, impression management, rhetoric and argument, and silence) and corporate governance (boards of directors, audit committees, and whistleblowing). 

Brennan's research has highlighted the importance of high standards in corporate governance and how these standards impact business and people. Brennan was the first in Ireland to offer education and training to company directors. 

Research Impact 

Most financial reporting research assumes that company managers provide useful information to shareholders; however, Brennan argues that some managers are self-serving and engage in impression management to portray a good image of company performance. She has used rhetoric and argument both in the context of hostile takeover bids, in which the bidder or target company managers try to persuade target-company shareholders to accept or reject the bidder's offer, and also in analyzing a dispute between Greenpeace and six organizations in the fashion trade, which arose because of Greenpeace's "Dirty Laundry" campaign. 

Brennan's corporate governance research has highlighted the importance of high standards in business conduct and how these standards matter to ordinary people's lives in ways we may not have imagined. She, along with a co-author, is only the second academic to access the "black box" of the boardroom and has audio- and video-recorded nine board meetings of three U.K. organizations. 

Brennan has also served on several boards of directors and audit committees. She is a former chair of the National College of Art and Design and the Dublin Docklands Development Authority. She has held several policy roles, as well. She chaired an Irish government's commission that led to the establishment of the Health Service Executive, which runs Ireland's health services, and she was vice-chair of the Irish government's Review Group on Auditing. 

Following a scandal, in 2023, the minister for the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media appointed Brennan to chair an expert advisory committee examining governance and cultural failures in RTE, Ireland's national broadcaster. Brennan applies practical insights gained from each of those roles in her academic research. 

With over 100 publications to her name, Brennan was recognized by Stanford University as one of the world's top 2% of scientists for 2022. She was elected to the Royal Irish Academy, Ireland's highest academic honor. She has also received a British Accounting and Finance Association Distinguished Academic Award, was inducted into the Interdisciplinary Accounting Research Hall of Fame and was awarded a fellowship of the Irish Academy of Management. In addition, Brennan was appointed an inaugural fellow of the Institute of Directors in Ireland and an honorary fellow of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland. 

Brennan is also a regular contributor to newspaper articles, media interviews, and discussions on the subject of responsible corporate governance, accountancy, and education. She plays a highly visible role in promoting good governance, the responsibilities of directors, and ethical behavior. 

“Professor Brennan’s work demonstrates the potential of business school research to address some of today’s most critical challenges,” said Lily Bi, AACSB president and CEO. “The knowledge Professor Brennan is producing will help inform and create real change in the world.”

About AACSB Influential Leaders

Now in its ninth year, AACSB’s Influential Leaders member spotlight program highlights the value that business schools bring to business and society—whether through the alumni who have used their business education to improve the industries and communities they serve, or the faculty leading positive impact through their research. All faculty from this year’s class are from one of AACSB’s more than 1,000 accredited business schools worldwide.

The 2024 honorees are advancing research in the areas of AI, healthcare, sustainability, finance, entrepreneurship, and more. The selected leaders exemplify the important role of business school faculty in developing new knowledge that provides timely and relevant solutions for business and societal challenges. 

These faculty changemakers are using their expertise to encourage environmental responsibility, improve healthcare outcomes, enable digital innovation, empower marginalized populations, and transform investment practices. 

Support for the 2024 Influential Leaders initiative is provided by Academic Partnerships.

The unique stories of each honoree are available at aacsb.edu/influential-leaders. 

About AACSB 

Established in 1916, AACSB International (AACSB) is the world’s largest business education association, connecting business schools, business, and lifelong learners to create the next generation of great leaders. With members in over 100 countries and territories, AACSB elevates the quality and impact of business schools globally. Learn how AACSB and business schools from around the world are leading boldly in business education at aacsb.edu.