Professor Ataur Belal

• PhD The University of Sheffield
• FCCA   UK
• FHEA Advances HE UK
• MBA University of Wales, Cardiff
• B.Com. (Hons), M. Com. University of Chittagong, Bangladesh

Ataur is a Professor in Accounting and Sustainability. He joined Birmingham Business School in August 2022 having previously been a professor in the Department of Accounting at Aston University. During his 16 years of service at Aston, he also served as the Head of the Department and member of the Senior Management Team. Before that he was an Associate Professor at the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh. In Birmingham, he is a member of the Department of Accounting located within the Birmingham Business School.

He has held visiting positions and taught at the universities of Toulouse (France), Regensburg (Germany), University of Ottawa (Canada), Kobe University, Japan and De los Andes (Colombia). His editorial positions include former Editorship of Advances in Environmental Accounting and Management, Associate Editorship of Accounting Forum and editorial Board Memberships in Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, Critical Perspectives on Accounting and Business Ethics: A European Review. His Google Scholar H Index is 26 and has nearly 4500 citations.

His principal research interest lies in the area of social and environmental accounting from the context of developing countries such as Bangladesh, India and Vietnam. His work in this area has led to a number of international large project collaborations funded by the British Council, British Academy and CIMA. He has presented his research in leading international conferences and workshops in various countries. His research papers have appeared in leading international journals in the field such as Work, Employment and Society, Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, Journal of Business Ethics, Critical Perspectives on Accounting, Accounting Forum, Financial Accountability and Management, and Accounting and Business Research.

Ataur's teaching is research informed and adopts a critical perspective on accounting. He brings in the latest insights from his research field in social and environmental accounting. He also brings guest lecturers in from the industry to provide practical insights to the students.

His role is mainly to facilitate students’ teaching and learning process by invoking and sometimes provoking their latent critical minds. Ataur's teaching ethos includes looking at accounting from an alternative perspective which promotes the role of accounting in capturing the social and environmental impacts and thereby promotes the transparency and accountability of organisations. This is informed by the view that accounting has a much broader role to serve wider social interests.

This is a point of departure from the narrow and traditional perspectives on accounting which applies it mainly as a tool to aid corporate decision making with a view to maximise shareholders’ wealth. He has taught various accounting modules to undergraduate, postgraduate and post experience audience. Ataur has the experience of running CPD sessions for professional accountants internationally.

Of late, he has been specialising in teaching sustainability accounting in the UK and abroad including Kobe University in Japan.

Editorial

• Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, Critical Perspectives on Accounting, Accounting Forum and Business  Ethics, Environment and Responsibility

Grant Review

• Expert reviewer of research proposals and reports for ESRC and British Council. Recently invited to join the peer review college of UKRI Future Leaders Funding Scheme.

International advisor

• SESAMI Program (Strategic Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Alliance Management Initiatives), Kobe University, Japan.
• Panel member of 13 university professors, ESG Investing, UK for ESG related accreditation for investment funds.
  
• Member, UKRI peer review colleague for Future Leaders Scheme.
• Academic Fellow, Humanitarian Academy for Development, Birmingham UK.