HotSpot underground parking is available in the Desmarais Building via the entrance on Nicholas Street (117 Nicholas Street) at a rate of $5.50/hour, with no maximum. Other parking options nearby:
Rideau Centre (50 Rideau Street): accessible from Daly Avenue and Nicholas Street
Municipal parking lot at City Hall (110 Laurier Avenue West, City Hall Garage, Lot 6)
This one-day conference will bring together leading finance scholars from across Canada and the United States to present high-impact research on key issues in corporate finance and banking. Topics include corporate social responsibility, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and the evolving dynamics between traditional banking and fintech.
The program will feature six research presentations and a keynote address.
Schedule:
Schedule
8 a.m.–8:30 a.m.:
Coffee, light continental breakfast and networking
8:30 a.m.–8:45 a.m.:
Opening remarks from Stéphane Brutus, Dean, Telfer School of Management, and Silvia Bonaccio, Vice-Dean, Research, Telfer School of Management
8:45 a.m.–9:35 a.m.:
Session 1 — Tu Nguyen, associate professor, finance, and J. Page R. Wadsworth Junior Chair in Accounting and Finance at the School of Accounting and Finance, University of Waterloo “Director Influence”
9:35 a.m.–10:25 a.m.:
Session 2 — Madhu Kalimipalli, professor and director, PhD and research-based master’s programs in management, Lazaridis Research Chair in Sustainable Finance, at the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University “Do Corporate Bonds Hedge Geopolitical Risk?”
10:25 a.m.–10:40 a.m.:
Coffee break
10:40 a.m.–11:30 a.m.:
Session 3 — Paul H. Beaumont, assistant professor, finance, at the Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University “How Universal Are Universal Banks? Evidence from Small Business Lending”
11:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.:
Session 4 — Fred Bereskin, associate professor and Richard G. Miller Professor of Finance at the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business, University of Missouri “Private Equity Investment and Employee Satisfaction in Accounting Firms”
12:20 p.m.–1:15 p.m.:
Lunch and informal discussion with PhD students
1:15 p.m.–2:30 p.m.:
Keynote speaker — Kose John, Charles William Gerstenberg Professor of Banking and Finance at the Stern School of Business, New York University "Bank Regulation, Deposit Insurance Design and Financial System Stability: Overview and Open Problems"
2:30 p.m.–2:45 p.m.:
Coffee break
2:45 p.m.–3:35 p.m.:
Session 5 — Denis Schweizer, professor, finance, at the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University "Can CEO Activism Boost ESG Ratings?"
3:35 p.m.–4:25 p.m.:
Session 6 — Jim Goldman, assistant professor, finance, at the Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University “A Dark Side to Experience? Firm Age and Uncertainty”
4:25 p.m.–4:30 p.m.:
Concluding remarks
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Kose John is the Charles William Gerstenberg Professor of Banking and Finance at the NYU Stern School of Business. He is the Director of NSE-NYU Initiative on the study of Indian Capital Markets, and the Coordinator of the India Initiative of the Center for Global Economy and Business. He is the Fubon Center Innovation Scholar (2022-present). He holds a Ph.D. in Management Science from the University of Florida. Kose John has published important research on corporate finance, banking and more recently Crypto and Blockchain Economics. His recent research in Blockchain economics has explored foundational issues in the design of blockchain protocols, security issues and smart contracts.
IMPORTANT DATES AND DEADLINES
Conference registration deadline: Friday, May 22, 2026 at noon (limited spots available)
Conference date: May 29, 2026
Organizing Committee
Shantanu Dutta—Telfer Fellow in Global Finance, Full Professor of Finance
