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PhD (University of Queensland)
Gavin Nicholson BEcon, LLB, MBA(Adv), PhD, FAICD, is an Associate Professor in the School of Accountancy at the QUT Business School, Queensland University of Technology. He specialises in a behavioural approach to corporate governance and is a member of the Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society and Technology. In addition to researching, lecturing and developing materials in the areas of governance policy and practice, Gavin is an experienced director, governance researcher and board consultant. He has published extensively in the leading journals of his field and currently oversees several large research projects aimed at understanding how boards can improve their decision-making. From a practical perspective, Gavin has co-authored several practitioner-focused books including Boards that Work: A New Guide for Directors, one of the first normative guides to effective governance that stimulated the widespread adoption of Corporate Governance Charters. He has also been a leading developer of effective governance review methodologies and co-authored several popular works in that area including the book Board, Director and CEO Evaluation. Prior to joining QUT, Gavin spent 12 years as a management consultant specialising in corporate governance and strategy advice to listed and large public companies, government owned corporations, statutory authorities, not-for-profit organisations and local government. Recent and Major Awards and Professional Recognition Finalist, Stalkerspace Lecturer of the Year (student-driven Facebook award), 2019 Best Paper of the Year in Corporate Governance: An International Review (Q1; IF:6.4) for “The influence of board chairs on director engagement: A case‐based exploration of boardroom decision‐making” (with PJ Bezemer and A Pugliese), 2018. Nominee, David Gardener Teaching Award, 2017. Best Paper of the Year in Qualitative Research in Accounting and Management (Q2) for “Inside the boardroom: exploring board member interactions” (with PJ Bezemer and A Pugliese), 2015. Finalist (#3 in QUT) for Unijobs Top 10 lecturers, 2014. Fellow, King’s College, University of Queensland, 2010. Runner up, Best Paper of the Year in Corporate Governance: An International Review (Q1; IF:6.4) for “Can directors impact performance? A case‐based test of three theories of corporate governance” (with G Kiel), 2007. Recent grants Awarded 2020-2021. Funding body: Financial Planning Association of Australia. Title: Developing Healthy Financial Habits in Young Adults: Investigating the Relationship Between Financial Literacy, Engagement with Finances and Financial Decision-making, $10,000. 2018-2019. Funding body: E3 Advisory. Impact of the Digital Economy on Infrastructure Development and Funding, $4,784. 2014-2019. Funding body: The Davidson Institute (Westpac). The Director Financial Competency Inventory: A project to measure and enhance NFP Director Financial Competence, $60,000. 2012-2018. Funding body: The Trust Company. Developing Your Board, $150,000. Research Interests- Board dynamics and teamwork
- Board decision making
- Corporate governance
Additional information
Organisations with which Assoc Prof Nicholson has worked include: E3 Advisory Runge Limited CSIRO Greater Building Society New England Area Health Training Services Boystown Red Cross Betta Stores Limited CRC for Greenhouse Gas Accounting Animal Health Australia Bluegum Beef Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania Governance SystemSecurities Institute of Australia Brian Bell & Co. (Papua New Guinea)
- Veltrop, D., Bezemer, P., Nicholson, G. & Pugliese, A. (2021). Too unsafe to monitor? How board–CEO cognitive conflict and chair leadership shape outside director monitoring. Academy of Management Journal, 64(1), 207–234. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/200987
- Kiel, G. & Nicholson, G. (2003). Board composition and corporate performance: how the Australian experience informs contrasting theories of corporate governance. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 11(3), 189–205. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/5019
- Elms, N. & Nicholson, G. (2020). How director identification shapes accountability and scope of contribution. Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, 33(8), 1815–1834. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/202295
- Nicholson, G., Pugliese, A. & Bezemer, P. (2017). Habitual accountability routines in the boardroom: how boards balance control and collaboration. Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, 30(2), 222–246. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/105519
- Bezemer, P., Nicholson, G. & Pugliese, A. (2018). The influence of board chairs on director engagement: A case based exploration of boardroom decision-making. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 26(3), 219–234. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/223614
- Hillman, A., Nicholson, G. & Shropshire, C. (2008). Directors' multiple identities, identification, and board monitoring and resource provision. Organization Science, 19(3), 441–456. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/18724
- Pugliese, A., Nicholson, G. & Bezemer, P. (2015). An observational analysis of the impact of board dynamics and directors' participation on perceived board effectiveness. British Journal of Management, 26(1), 1–25. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/76231
- Bezemer, P., Pugliese, A., Nicholson, G. & Zattoni, A. (2023). Toward a synthesis of the board-strategy relationship: A literature review and future research agenda. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 31(1), 178–197. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/236597
- Nicholson, G. & Kiel, G. (2007). Can directors impact performance? A case-based test of three theories of corporate governance. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 15(4), 585–608. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/13261
- Kiel, G., Nicholson, G., Tunny, J. & Beck, J. (2018). Reviewing your board: a guide to board and director evaluation. Australian Institute of Company Directors. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/209894
- Title
- Director Identity, Identification and Information Flows as Predictors of Board Monitoring, Resource Provision and Organisational Performance
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP0773733
- Start year
- 2007
- Keywords
- Boards of directors; Identity; Network analysis; Corporate governance
- An Analysis of the social dynamics in boardrooms: chairperson leadership, pluralistic ignorance and demographic faultlines
MPhil, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Elisabeth Sinnewe - Compulsory Insurance Frameworks for Emerging Aviation Technology - Framing the Future of Unmanned Aircraft Systems
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Julie-Anne Tarr
- The importance of team processes in harnassing conflict in field project teams (2019)
- Exploring the Effect of Director Tenure on Director Monitoring: A Case-Based Approach (2017)
- Director Independence or Decision Bias? An Investigation of Alternative Sources of Agency Costs in Board Decision Making (2015)
- Comparing Cost Uplift in Infrastructure Delivery Methods: A Case Based Approach (2011)
- Exploring the Role of the Governing Body (Board) in Information Technology Governance: A study of Australian Universities (2011)
- Role of the Board in Firm Strategy: A Strategy as Practice View (2009)
- Unpacking Director Financial Literacy (2015)
- An Exploratory Study into Director Selection: Who Do Directors Want on Their Boards and How Do They Select Them? (2014)
- Characteristics of Bangladeshi corporate networks (2013)
- Do Board Contacts Matter? An analysis of the relationship between boards of directors' ties and the performance of Australia's largest companies (2010)