I am a Lecturer in Accounting and Finance at the School of Digital, Technology, Innovation, and Business at Staffordshire University. My research focuses on finance, with specific interests in corporate governance, gender diversity on boards of directors, bankruptcy, corporate fraud, ESG reporting, and corporate risk-taking.
Recently, I have developed an interest in sustainable finance, particularly exploring governance and carbon productivity at both firm and national levels. I earned my PhD in Accounting and Finance from the University of Liverpool. Before transitioning to the academic sector in the UK, I worked as a lecturer in Accounting and Finance at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
I have been honoured with several prizes for my research, including the following: • First Prize on Corporate Finance Research (IMEF-EY, 2021). • Second Place for the “Adalberto Viesca Sada” Prize (Centre for Family Firms at the University of Monterrey, Mexico, 2021). My work has been published in peer-reviewed academic journals, including the British Journal of Management and the Review of Corporate Finance, among others.
Professional memberships and activities
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Academic qualifications
- PhD, ‘The Effectiveness of Board Diversity Reforms and Corporate Practices: The Moderating Role of a Familial Culture, Prevalence of Family Businesses and Family Ownership’, University of Liverpool.
- MSc in Business Statistics, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka • BBA in Accounting and Finance, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Expertise
- Financial time series analysis
- Multivariate Statistical Data Analysis Techniques
- Experimental Designing
- Computational Business Analytics
- Operational Research
- Statistical software experience in SPSS, STATA, E-Views, Minitab, etc.
Research interests
- Corporate governance
- Sustainable economics and finance
- Corporate finance
- Board of directors’ strategies
- Behavioral finance
Grants
- PhD Scholarship Grant from World Bank, AHEAD project 2019-2022
- Small research grant CBIR
Teaching
Undergraduate
- Financial management
- Corporate finance
- Management accounting
- Advanced management accounting
- Research methods
- Financial reporting
- Data and decision making
- Financial narratives and reporting
- Corporate governance
Postgraduate supervision
Publications
Poletti‐Hughes, J., & Dimungu‐Hewage, D. (2023). The Effectiveness of Gender Diversity Reforms and the Impact of a Familial Culture: A Spillover Effect on Board Independence. British Journal of Management. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8551.12660
Dimungu-Hewage, D., & Poletti-Hughes, J. (2022). Does Board Diversity Decrease Corporate Fraud? International Evidence from Family vs Non-Family Firms. Review of Corporate Finance. DOI:10.1561/114.00000039