In this ongoing series, we’ll profile Ivey’s newest faculty, giving you insights into their work and lives.
For Diane-Laure Arjaliès, the last few months have been full of new beginnings – both at home and at Ivey.
Along with her husband and two children, Arjaliès is settling into a new country after moving to Canada from France this past summer. And as one of Ivey’s newest faculty members in the managerial accounting and control department, Arjaliès will be tackling a brand new core course for HBA2s on Sustainable Finance.
The course examines the responsibilities and roles of financial markets in driving change towards sustainability, a subject that makes up the bulk of Arjaliès’ research.
With a background in accounting and several years of experience in responsible investments at an asset management company, Arjaliès was able to assess first-hand how management can bring sustainability concerns into their investment practices.
“I did not want to be an investment manager, but I wanted to understand what I was studying. That’s why I decided to become an ethnographer and enter the field,” said Arjaliès.
She has conducted numerous interviews with investment managers and financial authorities to try to understand how they approach corporate social responsibility.
“I’m still very surprised by how nice people are,” Arjaliès joked. “My research involves touchy topics and people are very honest and happy to explain their situation. It requires a lot of confidence and trust in what you do.”
Eager to begin teaching next term, Arjaliès’ drive for social change is sure to rub off on her students.
“Financial markets are super powerful, so my thought is that if you want to trigger change, you need to go and work with the financial markets. I wanted to work with business school students because they are where the future power is.”
To find out more about Arjaliès’ research, read the December 2015 issue of Impact.
At a Glance
WHO: Diane-Laure Arjaliès, Assistant Professor, Managerial Accounting and Control
PAST OCCUPATION: Prior to joining Ivey this year, Arjaliès held the position of Assistant Professor, Accounting and Control Department at HEC Paris, France since 2010. She also worked for several years in investment banking.
RESEARCH INTEREST: Arjaliès investigates the introduction of non-financial performance measures in management control systems. She is particularly interested in the development of responsible investment and its impact on the financial markets.
FINDINGS: Financial markets need to rethink the way they interact not only with the general public, but also the way they think about their profession through a process that Arjaliès refers to as a ‘goal-based product category.’ This practice consists of making clients reflect on which societal and financial goals they want to pursue when investing their money and see whether these goals are aligned with those pursued by the investment manager.
RELEVANCE: Her work helps to determine how financial markets can better integrate sustainability concerns into their daily procedures.
FUN FACT: Arjaliès classifies herself as an avid foodie. She likes cooking and discovering new wines from all around the world, focusing for now on the Ontario ones!
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