Skip to main content
Overview

Professor Laurence Ferry

Professor in Accounting


Affiliations
Affiliation
Professor in Accounting in the Business School

Biography

Dr Laurence Ferry is an award-winning Professor in Accounting for Democracy at Durham University Business School (UK), established Author, Founding Director of the International Centre of Public Accountability (ICOPA) and a Member of the Senior Common Room at, Castle, University College. From 2019 to 2022, he served as Head of Department for Accounting, Senior Leader on the Dean’s Faculty Executive Team, and Senator on the University Senate. During this period, Laurence successfully led the Accounting Department for the first time into the Top 10 across all 3 official national rankings (CUG, Times and Guardian) and Top 75 internationally (our highest ever placements), ensured a significantly improved department research reputation including strong REF2021 submission, and accomplished National Student Survey results at the very forefront of the University. He earned his PhD from the Warwick Business School, and is a qualified chartered accountant, prestigious elected Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and holds a first-class accounting degree.

His research, impact, teaching and consulting covers accounting, auditing and accountability with a specific focus on the public sector where he is a very well recognized world-leading expert in public financial management. 

Internationally, he is a Senior Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Accounting at Rutgers University (USA), Co-Director of the Durham Rutgers Accounting Analytics Network (DRAAN), Affiliated Fellow at the Municipal Research Lab at North Carolina State University (USA), and a member of the CIPFA International Advisory Board undertaking thought leadership for how accounting, auditing and accountability can improve social, economic and environmental well-being for citizens of the world. This includes an incredibly successful ESRC funded comparative project on ‘Voice(s) of Accountability at Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs)’ that was undertaken with CIPFA on behalf of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), a non-governmental organization with special consultative status with the United Nations’ (UN) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and umbrella organization for the external government audit community. Here Professor Ferry’s world leading research and project leadership recently provided an international comparison of audit and accountability arrangements of governments by Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) (Please see master report here.) This culminated in the Rio Declaration at the International Congress in Brazil that changed audit and accountability arrangements of SAIs across the world (7 geographic regions and around 200 countries) Please see Rio Declaration here. Importantly, this helps to accomplish United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16 (UN SDG 16) ‘Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions’ that highlights the importance of strong accountability for the state, which is underpinned by audit and accounting. 

Nationally, Laurence has had the honour to be an invited speaker and workshop guest at the UK Parliament – both House of Lords and House of Commons - in 2022, be an Adviser at the Open Innovation Team of the Cabinet Office of the UK Government in 2021, and Adviser at the UK Parliament with a House of Commons Select Committee in 2020 following having been a prestigious Parliamentary Academic Fellow 2018/19 looking at public accountability. In 2019, he had the rare honour to single author a full Parliament Report on ‘Audit and Inspection in English Local Government’ (Please see here.) He was then a member of the Steering Panel on the Review by Sir Tony Redmond into Audit and Financial Reporting in Local Government, which was one of the principal reviews of audit. The Redmond Report was published in 2020 (Please see: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/916217/Redmond_Review.pdf ). The Government in their response accepted around 60% of the recommendations, with the remainder subject to further review (Please see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-financial-reporting-and-external-audit-government-response-to-the-redmond-review/local-authority-financial-reporting-and-external-audit-government-response-to-the-independent-review ). All this work by Professor Ferry follows on from his earlier comparative work on accountability and transparency of local public service bodies for the National Audit Office and Centre for Public Scrutiny.

Regarding research, the focus for Laurence is Public Accountability. He is founding director of ICOPA, the International Centre of Public Accountability that looks at how accounting, auditing and accountability affect big public policy issues such as austerity, Brexit, climate change, disease including COVID-19 and war. For the new REF2028, he has already had over 25 journal papers accepted between 2021 and 2023 with several winning awards, as well as a book and various book chapters. For the REF2021 period, he published over 35 journal papers at the nexus of accounting and public administration with half a dozen papers winning awards, two books and various book chapters. He is on over half a dozen editorial boards including as Associate Editor at both Accounting Forum and the Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting and Financial Management. His research has successfully translated into theatre shows in London and Newcastle for the Freedom City celebrations concerning Dr Martin Luther King, art exhibitions for the Great Exhibition of the North, animated online videos and features in the Financial Times (FT), New York Times, Public Finance, Municipal Journal and Local Government Chronicle among others.

For impact, Laurence is constructing a world leading impact case for REF2028 on ‘An International comparison of SAIs’, among others. He previously produced a world leading REF2021 impact case study on changing audit and accountability arrangements in English local government: Enhancing resilience and value for money and has been awarded several honours including the prestigious policy impact prize at Durham University. Laurence has personally give oral and written evidence at Parliament including on Brexit and Local Government, presented his research at COP21 - the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference in Paris, written reports funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), European Union (EU) and the National Audit Office (NAO) and spoke on BBC and ITV news as an invited expert. 

In terms of teaching, Laurence is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice and Learning (PCAPL). Teaching interests focus on both management accounting and financial accounting. He has received various awards in recognition of academic and executive teaching, including the Deans Award for Teaching and nomination for the University Learning and Teaching Award. Internationally, he has held several visiting professorships in the USA, China, Europe, Middle East, and South-East Asia illustrating he is a truly global scholar.

Furthermore, professionally over the past two decades, Laurence has engaged with senior government, banking and multi-national company representatives of over thirty countries. This is from various roles that he has undertaken in a research, consulting and training capacity. In the UK, recently this has included engagement with the UK Government’s Cabinet Office Open Innovation Team, UK Parliament, NAO being the UK’s Supreme Audit Institution, Centre for Public Scrutiny (CfPS) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) (Formerly the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)). Internationally this experience ranges from the National Development and Reform Commission of the Peoples Republic of China and ICBC Bank (the world’s largest bank) from China, to the Economic Financial Crimes Commission and Supreme Court of Nigeria, to King Faisal Hospital of Saudi Arabia and to the Ministry of Finance of Bangladesh as just some examples. He has held senior roles in the UK civil service, local government and private consultancy including as Managing Director, Head of Finance and Resources and Special Adviser.

Mini Biography

Dr Laurence Ferry is an award-winning Professor in Accounting for Democracy at Durham University Business School (UK), established Author, Founding Director of the International Centre of Public Accountability (ICOPA) and a Member of the Senior Common Room at, Castle, University College. From 2019 to 2022, he served as Head of Department for Accounting, Senior Leader on the Dean’s Faculty Executive Team, and Senator on the University Senate. During this period, Laurence successfully led the Accounting Department for the first time into the Top 10 across all 3 official national rankings (CUG, Times and Guardian) and 75th internationally (our highest ever placements), ensured a significantly improved department research reputation including strong REF2021 submission, and accomplished National Student Survey results at the very forefront of the University. He earned his PhD from the Warwick Business School, and is a qualified chartered accountant, prestigious elected Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and holds a first-class accounting degree. His research, teaching and consulting covers accounting, auditing and accountability with a specific focus on the public sector where he is a very well recognized world-leading expert in public financial management.

Research interests

  • Management Accounting
  • Performance Measurement
  • Accountability and Transparency
  • Practice Theory
  • Field Study Methods (primarily within public sector contexts)

Publications

Authored book

Book review

Chapter in book

Edited book

Journal Article

Other (Digital/Visual Media)

Other (Print)

Report

Supervision students

This is the image alt text

A Top Global Business School

We are an international triple accredited business school. Sharing insights, supporting innovation and teaching tomorrow’s leaders. We combine our academic excellence, insightful research and exceptional global business connections, to equip our students to become innovative business thinkers.

About Us