Professor Irene-marie Esser
Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences
Sir Alexander Stone Chair in Commercial Law
University of Glasgow
Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences
Sir Alexander Stone Chair in Commercial Law
University of Glasgow
Professor Irene-marie Esser holds the Sir Alexander Stone Chair in Commercial Law at the University of Glasgow, School of Law. She is Dean of the Graduate School, Social Sciences at the University of Glasgow. She also holds visiting professor roles at Stellenbosch University and the National Law University Jodhpur, India.
She is a leading scholar in corporate governance, company law, and ESG, with extensive international experience spanning the United Kingdom, South Africa, India, and Australia. She serves as Senior Advisor to the Institute of Directors (IoD) Centre for Corporate Governance and is a member of the Board of the Global Research Foundation for Corporate Governance (India) and a board member at the Centre for Corporate Governance in Africa. Her research focuses on comparative corporate governance, stakeholder engagement, directors' duties, and the intersection of corporate purpose with sustainability.
External advisor on the King IV and V Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa, one of the most influential governance codes globally.
Co-authored the IoD's landmark report reassessing the role of non-executive directors, more than twenty years after the Higgs Review.
Recognised for the excellence and impact of her work in the social sciences through Fellowship of the Academy.
Delivering IoDSA-accredited board governance training at the University of Johannesburg since 2009. She offers bespoke corporate governance training to directors, managers, company secretaries, and compliance officers.
Comparative corporate governance, ESG, directors' duties, corporate purpose, board diversity, and company law.
PublicationsBespoke governance workshops for boards and executives, delivered internationally.
TrainingExpert advisory on governance codes, board composition, board effectiveness, and UK and South African company law.
AdvisingSir Alexander Stone Chair in Commercial Law, School of Law
Dean of the Graduate School, Social Sciences
Senior Advisor, Centre for Corporate Governance
Visiting Professor
Visiting Professor