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Zankai Wang

Zankai Wang

Email: zankai.wang@qmul.ac.uk

Project:

Legal Expertise in Leadership: How Lawyer CEOs Create Value in Mergers and Acquisitions

 

Description:

Zankai Wang is a PhD Scholar working in collaboration with the Finance Research Cluster (FRC). His research examines how the professional backgrounds of chief executives shape corporate acquisitions, with a particular focus on CEOs with legal training. Drawing on large samples of US mergers and acquisitions, his work explores how lawyer CEOs influence deal completion, market reactions, target selection, contract design and post-acquisition financial reporting. Its potential impact extends to both academia and practice, informing boards on executive selection and contributing to the broader discussion of corporate governance and the role of managerial expertise in M&A.

 

Supervision:

  • 1st Supervisor: Dr. Chunling Xia
  • 2nd Supervisor: Dr. Zhe Li

 

Biography:

Zankai Wang commenced his doctoral research at the School of Business and Management, Queen Mary University of London in September 2023. His research interests lie primarily in the fields of empirical corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, executive characteristics and corporate governance.

His future research aims to (1) explore how the professional backgrounds of chief executives, particularly legal expertise, shape corporate investment decisions, deal contracting and financial reporting quality; and (2) apply rigorous empirical methods and novel data sources to reveal the mechanisms through which managerial expertise affects firm outcomes, contributing to the corporate finance and corporate governance literature.

 

Centre and Group Membership:

Member of the Finance Research Cluster (FRC)

Teaching: 

Undergraduate module: BUS 283 Financial Markets and Securities

 

Publications:

Wang, Z., & Le, T. T. (2022). The COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on SMEs and travel agencies: The critical role of corporate social responsibility. Economic Analysis and Policy, 76, 46-58.

Working paper:

Legal Expertise in Leadership: How Lawyer CEOs Create Value in Mergers and Acquisitions

 

 

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