Areas of expertise: Financial accounting and reporting; auditing; corporate governance and board diversity; ESG disclosure and sustainability reporting; climate risk and corporate investment; corporate taxation and regulatory oversight; management control systems.
Phone: +61 7 3623 7117
Email: [email protected]
Location: ACU Brisbane Campus
HDR Supervisor accreditation status: HDR Supervisor (Full)
ORCID ID: 0000-0003-1438-5020
Dr Adam Arian is a Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Finance and Course Coordinator for the Master of Professional Accounting at Australian Catholic University. His research examines how corporate governance, sustainability practices and regulatory environments shape financial reporting, investment decisions and corporate risk. He holds a PhD in Accounting and Finance from the University of Southern Queensland, where he is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer.
His research focuses on corporate disclosure, environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance, climate risk, board diversity and corporate tax behaviour. His work has been published in journals including Meditari Accountancy Research, International Review of Economics and Finance, Applied Economics, Emerging Markets Review and Accounting Education. His sustainability disclosure research received Emerald’s Highly Cited Paper recognition in 2023.
Dr Arian is an Associate Editor of Applied Economics and Applied Economics Letters, and Assistant Editor and Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change. He also serves on the Editorial Board of Humanities and Social Sciences Communications and the Editorial Review Boards of Accounting Research Journal and Business & Management.
His international engagement includes an invited Visiting Professor appointment at British University Vietnam in 2026, where he delivered a research workshop on corporate governance, sustainability and financial reporting. He shares research with wider audiences through outlets including The Conversation, the London School of Economics Impact Blog and the Lowy Institute’s The Interpreter.
Dr Arian is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE and a member of CPA Australia and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. He received recognition for teaching excellence at ACU in 2025 and 2026. His teaching draws on industry experience in auditing and financial management, and he supervises higher degree research in accounting, sustainability and corporate risk.
His current research includes regulatory oversight and financial reporting, corporate culture and tax behaviour, and executive diversity and investment efficiency.
Website
Google scholar
Twitter
ResearchGate
ORCID
Select publications
- Li, C.-C., Daff, L., Sands, J., & Arian, A. (2026). Board committees’ gender diversity: An investigative look at the engine rooms of decision-making. Meditari Accountancy Research.
- Arian, A., Bose, S., Karoui, L., & Shams, S. (2025). From crisis to stability: How CSR shielded firms during COVID-19 pandemic. International Review of Economics and Finance.
- Arian, A., Zharfpeykan, R., & Busulwa, R. (2025). Physical climate risks and investment behaviour: The role of cultural differences. Applied Economics.
- Arian, A., & Naeem, M. A. (2025). Climate Risk and Corporate Investment Behavior in Emerging Economies. Emerging Markets Review.
- Arian, A., & Sands, J. (2024). Do corporate carbon emissions affect risk and capital costs? International Review of Economics and Finance.
Projects
- Corporate culture, governance and tax behaviour: examining how corporate values and governance mechanisms relate to tax behaviour and earnings quality.
- Regulatory oversight and corporate reporting: examining financial and non-financial reporting using text-based measures of regulatory exposure.
- Executive Gender Congruence and Leadership Diversity: Implications for Investment Efficiency. Principal Investigator; ACU Faculty of Law and Business Innovation Grant, 2026 ($8,000).
- Social ties between CEOs and Big 4 auditors: investigating the implications for corporate tax avoidance. AFAANZ Research Grant, 2024 ($5,500).
Awards and research funding
- Highly Cited Paper recognition, Emerald, 2023 – Meditari Accountancy Research.
- Recognition for teaching excellence, Australian Catholic University, 2025 and 2026.
- Senior Fellow, Advance HE (SFHEA).
- ACU Faculty of Law and Business Innovation Grant, 2026 ($8,000); AFAANZ Research Grant, 2024 ($5,500); ACU Faculty of Law and Business ECR Research Grant, 2024 ($2,500).
- AFAANZ Early Career Research Grant, 2021 ($5,500).
Appointments and Affiliations
- Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Finance, Australian Catholic University.
- Adjunct Senior Lecturer, University of Southern Queensland.
- Invited Visiting Professor, British University Vietnam, 2026.
- Course Coordinator, Master of Professional Accounting, Australian Catholic University.
- Accredited HDR Supervisor (Full).
- Member: CPA Australia; CA ANZ; AFAANZ; IAAER.
Editorial roles
- Associate Editor, Applied Economics (2025-present).
- Associate Editor, Applied Economics Letters (2025-present).
- Editorial Board Member, Business Strategy and the Environment (2026-present).
- Editorial Board Member, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (2026-present).
- Assistant Editor and Editorial Board Member, Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change (2024-present).
- Editorial Review Board Member, Accounting Research Journal (2026-present).
- Editorial Review Board Member, Business & Management (SAGE, 2026-present).
Public engagement
- The Conversation Australia + NZ (2026): “Who has access to my bank details? What protections are in place to prevent misuse?”; related invited interview on JOY Drive (JOY 94.9).
- Lowy Institute – The Interpreter (2025): “Sustainability matters when economic shocks hit”.
- Featured academic, Austrade Study Australia digital campaign (2025), discussing climate risk and corporate investment behaviour.
- Contributor to ACU’s PRME Sharing Information on Progress report (2025), highlighting research on sustainability and governance.
