New Chairperson for BAFA's IP SIG

BAFA's Interdisciplinary Perspectives SIG Chairman, Stewart Smyth, left the Board in July 2020 to take up a new position as Vice President of BAFA. Stewart was acting Chair of IPSIG for the last seven years, during which time he promoted IPSIG and helped achieve its aims to develop interdisciplinary research in accounting and finance in the UK and worldwide. Stewart was also instrumental in creating the Alternative Accounts Europe (AAE) Conference as part of IPSIG, bringing the interdisciplinary accounting community even closer together. Stewart is succeeded by Sara Closs-Davies, previously the Treasurer of IPSIG.

Sara Closs-Davies has extensive and broad experience in accounting and taxation, having worked in industry for fifteen years as a Chartered Tax Adviser and accountant before embarking on a career in academia. Building on her experience in industry, Sara’s research examines the role and implications of accounting technologies within organisations and public policy administration. Her research is interdisciplinary, borrowing and developing theories from accounting, public administration, sociology and taxation. Sara adopts a critical interpretive methodological approach, developing and applying ethnography, grounded theory and critical discourse analysis to examine and challenge power relations and issues surrounding accounting and its impact on society and inequality.

In her capacity as Chair, Sara will strive to ensure the success of IPSIG by promoting interdisciplinary and critical accounting research, develop innovative methodological and theoretical skills in the field and help foster closer relationships amongst PhD students, early career researchers and long-standing academics worldwide. Sara is keen to develop links with industry in the context of creating social impact, and to harness innovative digitised ways of bringing the interdisciplinary and critical accounting research community closer together, as well as organising physical events.

Sara is grateful to all BAFA IPSIG members and their support towards her nomination for Chair and feels privileged and looks forward to working with an excellent executive team.