John Roberts

Professor John Roberts serves as a Professor in the Discipline of Accounting at the University of Sydney Business School. He obtained his doctorate from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) in 1984. Subsequently, he held Senior Research Fellowships at the Department of Accounting and Finance. Roberts has substantial senior executive experience and has worked at leading global business education institutions, including London Business School, Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge, and the University of Manchester. His career trajectory reflects a deep engagement with accounting practices within organizational contexts, transitioning from research fellowships to professorial roles across prestigious institutions.

Roberts is an expert on the nature of ethics in business, corporate governance, and accounting in organisational accountability. He contributes to the Accounting, Governance and Regulation research area at the University of Sydney Business School. His influential publications include 'Accounting systems and systems of accountability—understanding accounting practices in their organisational contexts' (1985, cited over 1,700 times), 'The possibilities of accountability' (1991, cited over 1,300 times), 'Beyond agency conceptions of the work of the non-executive director: Creating accountability in the boardroom' (2005, cited nearly 1,300 times), 'No one is perfect: The limits of transparency and an ethic for intelligent accountability' (2009, cited almost 1,000 times), and 'The manufacture of corporate social responsibility: Constructing corporate sensibility' (2003, cited over 675 times). These works have profoundly shaped scholarly discourse on accountability, transparency, ethics, and corporate responsibility in accounting and management fields, demonstrating his significant impact through high citation metrics and recognition in global research rankings.

Professional Email: john.roberts@sydney.edu.au