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Laura Muro, Ph.D.


Department of Business and Economics
Accounting

Education

Business Sustainability Management, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), University of Cambridge.
Ph.D. in Accounting and Auditing, School of Business, Complutense University (Spain)
Master in Finance and Economic Management. Centro de Estudios Financieros (Spain)
Bachelor in Business Administration and Economics. University of Oviedo, (Spain)

Practice Areas

  • Accounting and Sustainable Finance.

Publications and Media Placements

With Saona, P., (2026). "Firm Financial Performance: Disentangling the Corporate Gender Diversity as Driver of ESG Disclosure in EU Companies." Accounting & Finance 1-30. JCR Impact Factor: 2.6 https://doi.org/10.1111/acfi.70258

With Saona, P. (2026). Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards. In: Dhiman, S. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Leadership and Organizational Change. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51650-4_194-1 

With Saona, P., and López, É. (2025): "An integrated corporate governance index for Spain: From construction to construct validity." Spanish Accounting Review. JCR Impact Factor: 1.8  https://doi.org/10.6018/rcsar.535401

With Saona , P. San Martín, P. and McWay, R. (2023): "Does Board Gender Diversity and Remuneration Impact Earnings Quality? An Empirical Analysis of Spanish Firms". "Gender in Management: An International Journal". JCR Impact Factor: 3.337 https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-04-2021-0113

With Saona, P., Gregoriou, A., (2023). "The Phenomenon of Zero-Leverage Policy: Literature Review."  Research in International Business and Finance. JCR Impact Factor: 6.143 DOI: 10.1016/j.ribaf.2023.102012

With Saona, P : "The influence of firm's ESG initiatives on firm value: An analysis for select European firms", Lehner, O.M., Harrer, T., Silvola, H. and Weber, O. (Oct. 2023), Routledge Handbook of Green Finance, forthcoming, 821 p., Routledge: Oxford and New York. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003345497. ISBN: 9781003345497

"Financial Development, Governance Systems and Economic Freedom as Determinants of Financial Inclusion." United Nations Department of Global Communications and Utah Valley University. "Why it Matters". First Academic Conference on UNSDGs. Utah, USA.

With Saona, San Martín, P., and Cid, C. "Ibero-American Corporate Ownership and Boards of Directors: Implementation and Impact on Firm Value in Chile and Spain", Economic Research. (JCR Impact Factor: 1.381). 

With Saona, P., Alvarado, M. "How Does the Ownership Structure and Board of Directors' Features Impact on Earnings Management? The Spanish Case." Journal of International Financial Management and Accounting. JCR Impact Factor: 1.478.

With Saona, P., "Determinants of Earnings Management: A Corporate Governance Approach for Emerging Markets." Emerging Markets Finance and Trade Review. 54(12), 2736-2764. (JCR Impact Factor: 0.828).

With Saona, P., San Martín P., and Baier, H. "Board of Director's Gender Diversity and Its Impact on Earnings Management: An Empirical Analysis for Select European Firms", Technological and Economic Development of Economy. (forthcoming – accepted for publication, 2017 JCR Impact Factor: 3.244).

With Saona, P., Moreno, G., Slocum, A., Book chapter: "Earnings Quality and Market Performance in LATAM corporations. A combined Agency and Cognitive Approach to Investors' Perceptions of Managerial Information."

"Europe's Crisis of Accounting." Chapter written for the book "New Thinking in Political Economy," by Dr. Dave Howden. Edward Elgar Ed. Cheltenham, U.K.. Northampton, MA, USA.

"The SEC Roadmap for the Application of IFRS to US Issuers: A New Way to Teach Advanced Accounting." White Papers. Saint Louis University.

"Ventas brutas vs ventas netas." "Preparación de Información Financiera desde el Marco Conceptual." AECA (Asociación Española de Contabilidad y Administración de Empresas).

"Registro de un derivado como operación de cobertura." "Preparación de Información Financiera desde el Marco Conceptual." AECA (Asociación Española de Contabilidad y Administración de Empresas).

Book coordinator and co-author: "El camino hacia la convergencia: comparación y análisis crítico entre la normativa contable internacional y la estadounidense." EDISOFER.

"Internal and External Determinants of Earnings Management: A Corporate Governance Approach for Emerging markets." Paper presented at the conference: 15th Finance, Risk and Accounting Perspectives. University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Faculty of Management. Steyr, Austria.

"A Preliminary System of Intangible Asset Indicators in Higher Education: How to Take into Account the Needs of Stakeholders," paper presented at the X World Congress of Accounting Educators, Istanbul Turkey.

"El camino hacia la convergencia. Las Normas Internacionales de Contabilidad y su aplicación al Sector Eléctrico Español," paper presented at the XVII Jornadas Hispano-Lusas de Gestión científica, Conocimiento, Innovación y Emprendedores. Camino al futuro. Universidad de la Rioja, Spain.

Honors and Awards

Outstanding Paper in the 2025 Emerald Literati Awards Do board gender diversity and remuneration impact earnings quality? Evidence from Spanish firms.

SFSC Award for Faculty Excellence from the Student Government Association at Saint Louis University-Madrid (2025).

Finalist, Bankinter Award for Research in Business Ethics, VIII Edition.

Speaker at the United Nations Summit of the Future (2024) World leaders adopted a Pact for the Future, which includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations. https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1f/k1fp7m01cs?kalturaStartTime=7841

Member of the Global Citizenship Curriculum Project Faculty Working Group. The Global Citizenship Curriculum Project is an initiative of the Task Force on Global Citizenship of the International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU). https://globalcitizenship.georgetown.edu/essays/about-the-global-citizenship-curriculum-project

Member of the International Financial Architecture Reform and Financing for Development Coalition. https://clubmadrid.org/work/projects/impact-coalition-on-international-financial-architecture-reform/

Keynote Speaker at the side event during the United Nations Summit of the Future on "Accelerating Progress towards the SDGs through the Financing of Triangular Cooperation" (2024) Speaking on behalf of the ImPACT Coalition on International Financial Architecture Reform and Financing for Development.

Keynote speaker at the "Forum on Sustainable Development Goals: Connecting Academic Research and Policy Solutions for SDG Localization" Co-organized by the University of Deusto and the Local2030 Coalition, the Forum on Sustainable Development Goals: Connecting Academic Research and Policy Solutions to SDG. Oct. 22-23, 2024, Bilbao, Spain.

EURAM Research grant for the project "Female Leadership and ESG initiatives as Drivers of Firm Performance in EU Countries".

Panelist in the [https://www.uvu.edu/global/wim22/ts-9.html] thematic session on SDGs 8 & 9, "Decent work and Economic Growth; Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure" at the "United Nations Department of Global Communications and Utah Valley University Conference: 'Why it Matters'". First Academic Conference on UNSDGs. Utah, USA.

Finalist of Bankinter Awards on Business Ethics for the research work: "An Integrated Corporate Governance Index for Spain: From Construction to Construct Validity".

With Saona, P., granted with the Scholarship Opportunity Fund for the project: "Female Leadership and Corporate Environmental Innovations as Drivers of Firm's Performance".

Core Curricular Innovation Fellow for the 2022-23 academic year. Saint Louis University. The course I created was approved by the faculty assembly: IB 3700 Transitioning to a Sustainable World.

Associated Editor of the Journal of Applied Accounting Research. The Journal provides a forum for the dissemination of robust academic research that discusses and proposes field-driven solutions with the potential to change accounting practice and have an impact on the field.

Honorary Fellow of the Hanken Centre for Accounting, Finance and Governance. The centre wants to provide a network of scholars and a channel for the creation and dissemination of robust and theoretically substantiated research that aims to solve accounting, finance and governance related problems in organizations and the larger society, with a truly global outreach.

11/2021 - Granted with "Distinguished Faculty Award" by Saint Louis University-Madrid, Alumni Association. Alumni Association Honors Distinguished Graduates.

Associated Editor of the Journal of Applied Accounting Research. The Journal provides a forum for the dissemination of robust academic research that discusses and proposes field-driven solutions with the potential to change accounting practice and have an impact on the field.