Prestigious honour for Professor Kevin Keasey

Leeds University Business School is proud to announce that Professor Kevin Keasey has been awarded the 2025 Distinguished Academic Award by the British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA).

The BAFA Distinguished Academic Award recognises an individual who has made a substantial and direct contribution to academic accounting and finance in the UK. Professor Keasey’s research, leadership and long-standing service to the academic community have played a significant role in shaping the discipline nationally, making him a highly deserving recipient of this year’s honour.

A distinguished career at Leeds

Professor Keasey has spent the majority of his academic career at Leeds University Business School, serving as Head of the Accounting and Finance Department for more than 17 years. 

In addition to his departmental leadership, Professor Keasey founded several initiatives designed to strengthen research and external engagement, including the International Banking Institute, the Centre for Advanced Studies in Finance, and the Leeds Enterprise Centre. These initiatives have helped to connect academic research with industry, policymakers and the wider financial community, reinforcing the School’s impact beyond academia.

Commenting on the award, Professor Keasey said:

I am deeply honoured to receive the BAFA Distinguished Academic Award. BAFA plays a central role in supporting the UK accounting and finance academic community, so recognition from colleagues across the discipline is especially meaningful. I have been fortunate to work with outstanding colleagues and doctoral students at Leeds and beyond, and this award reflects the collective efforts of many people over many years.

Leadership, teaching and global impact

Before joining Leeds in the late 1980s, Professor Keasey held academic positions at the Universities of Warwick, Nottingham and Newcastle. Throughout his career, he has combined academic leadership with a strong commitment to teaching and doctoral supervision.

He has supervised more than 50 PhD students, many of whom now hold senior roles in universities, financial institutions and regulatory bodies around the world. He has also played a key role in curriculum development, contributing to MBA and specialist postgraduate programmes in finance and banking, as well as delivering executive education internationally.

Alongside his academic work, Professor Keasey has been active as an entrepreneur, company director and adviser. This experience has provided valuable practical insight into the challenges facing firms, financial institutions and policymakers, informing both his research and teaching.
Influential research in accounting, finance and banking

Professor Keasey’s research focuses on the interaction between firms, banks and financial markets, with particular attention to governance, regulation and financial stability. His work has advanced understanding across a number of core areas, including:

• Corporate governance structures, ownership patterns and executive incentives, and how they influence firm behaviour, performance and risk-taking
• The causes and consequences of bank risk and banking crises, and the role of regulation and governance in maintaining financial stability
• Corporate financing and payout decisions, including mergers, acquisitions and corporate restructuring
• Information flows and market structures in financial markets
• Behavioural influences on financial decision-making by managers and investors
• The interaction between accounting information, regulation and capital market outcomes

His research has addressed major real-world challenges, including bank failures, corporate governance reform, financial crises and investor behaviour, contributing to both academic debate and policy discussions.

Professor Keasey’s work has been published in leading international journals such as Journal of Accounting and Economics, The Economic Journal, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Journal of Corporate Finance, Accounting, Organizations and Society, and Journal of Banking and Finance.

Professor Konstantinos Bozos, Head of the Accounting and Finance Department at Leeds University Business School, said:

“We are incredibly proud to see Professor Kevin Keasey receive the BAFA Distinguished Academic Award. His impact goes far beyond his impressive publication record; he is a true thought leader whose mentorship and vision have shaped the Department and inspired countless careers. This distinction reflects not only his scholarly excellence and impact, but also his outstanding contribution as a colleague, academic and leader within the UK accounting and finance community and beyond.”