Recap of DGFRC-sponsored finance workshop

The 10th HEC-McGill Winter Finance Workshop took place from March 26-28, 2023, in Ischgl, Austria, in collaboration with the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance (FDEF) at the University of Luxembourg. This year’s conference, once again sponsored by the Desmarais Global Finance Research Centre (DGFRC), brought together academics and researchers from around the world to present their latest work in all areas of finance, including interdisciplinary work in law and finance, sustainability, and new financial technologies. Top institutions were represented, such as London School of Economics, Carnegie Mellon, University of Washington, Copenhagen Business School, University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, INSEAD, among others.

This year the Best Paper Award was presented to Murray Carlson, Adlai Fisher, and Ali Lazrak (UBC) for their paper "Why Divest? The Political and Informational Roles of Institutions in Asset Stranding." The paper explores the political and informational roles that institutions play in asset stranding, which is an increasingly important issue in the current economic and environmental context.  

Fisher presented the paper on behalf of the authors, and he described the conference as "a great forum – a collegial workshop with high-quality participants, uniformly strong papers, and outstanding discussants." He also noted that they had received "very important comments that will help us to advance this paper and our entire research agenda." This year’s prize highlights the importance in learning about the role of divestments and the Centre’s priorities in sustainable finance. 

Another highlight of the conference was the awarding of the Best Discussant Award to Francesco Sangiorgi from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management for his discussion of the same paper.  Sangiorgi described it as "a compelling paper on a timely and relevant topic” and praised the authors for their "novel and insightful analysis of how divestment movements work through institutions" and highlighted the differences in the decision-making process when the choice is made within a corporation versus through a democratic vote. 

“I found the conference to be a highly stimulating and intellectually rewarding experience. The exceptional quality of the papers presented and the level of interaction among the participants made it a valuable event. I am honored to have participated and look forward to attending future conferences.” 

Organizers from McGill included Professors Patrick Augustin and David Schumacher.

Congratulations to the two winners and thank you to all who attended!