James Ryans

Dr James Ryans’ research interests include investors' use of financial information; the effects of government monitoring of firms’ financial disclosures; mergers and acquisition synergies, insurance, and disclosure regulation; and the impact of short-sellers and activists on firm disclosures. Dr Ryans has published studies in prestigious academic journals such as the Journal of Accounting and Economics, The Accounting Review, and the Review of Accounting Studies. His work has been cited in the Financial Times, the New York Times, and has been presented to regulators and researchers at the SEC and PCAOB.

In the private sector, Dr Ryans has worked in investments and business development in the insurance industry, and formerly was a consultant at Deloitte & Touche in Toronto. Dr Ryans is an independent director and the audit committee chair of Virgin Galactic Holdings, the NYSE-listed human spaceflight company. He is or has been a non-executive director of other acquisition and technology companies, both public and private.

Dr Ryans is a member of the CFA Society of the UK and currently serves the global CFA Institute in various program support roles.

In addition to his research and professional activities, Dr Ryans is an award-winning teacher at London Business School. He directs the Mergers and Acquisitions executive programme and was named Best Teacher for the Masters in Management degree programme in 2017.