Professor Ian Thomson

• Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA)
• BA Accounting and Finance, Heriot-Watt University

Prior to becoming Director of the Centre for Responsible Business, Ian Thomson was Professor of Accounting & Sustainability at Birmingham Business School and his research was concerned with how accounting and other forms of evidence impacts in organizational decision making and operations which have a social and/or environmental impact. This research has included interdisciplinary studies on implementation of cleaner technology, establishing industrial ecologies, effective stakeholder engagement, risk governance in water and salmon farming, sustainable development indicators, government policy making, the role of new digital media, participative geographic information systems, developments in data and analytical technologies, effective pedagogy, use of accounting by activists, human rights, international development programmes and football club ownership and governance. 

He has been called as an expert witness to the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Infrastructure & Capital Investment Committees, Special Policy Advisor to the Scottish Parliament’s Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee, Budget Advisor to the Scottish Parliaments’ Cities and Infrastructure Committee and was a member of the expert stakeholder panel for the Sustainable Development Commission (Scotland).

His current projects include responsible and ethical accountability and data use, citizen accounting and social media, accountability for food aid, carbon accountability and responsible business transformation and outcome measurement. Until recently Ian Thomson was Professor of Accountancy at Heriot-Watt University and prior to this position was Professor of Accounting at Strathclyde Business School. He is a Chartered Management Accountant and before becoming an academic held senior accounting positions in NHS Scotland and BBC Scotland.

Ian Thomson currently teaches:

• Social and Environmental Accounting (MSC optional module)
• Financial Accounting Theory & Policy (MSC core module)
• Financial Accounting Theory (2^nd level undergraduate module)
• Advanced Accounting Theory and Policy (3^rd level undergraduate module)

Ian Thomson is interested in supervising research students in any aspects of social, environmental and sustainability accounting.

Ian's research has included interdisciplinary studies on implementation of cleaner technology, establishing industrial ecologies, effective stakeholder engagement, risk governance in water and salmon farming, sustainable development indicators, government policy making, the role of new digital media, participative geographic information systems, developments in data and analytical technologies, effective pedagogy, use of accounting by activists, human rights, international development programmes and football club ownership and governance. He has been called as an expert witness to the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Infrastructure & Capital Investment Committees, Special Policy Advisor to the Scottish Parliament’s Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee, Budget Advisor to the Scottish Parliaments’ Cities and Infrastructure Committee, worked with The Princes Charity, Business in the Community and as an accountability expert to UN World Food Programme and Food and Agriculture Organisation and Sustainable Development Commission (Scotland).

His current projects include responsible and ethical accountability and data use, citizen accounting and social media, accountability for food aid, carbon accountability and responsible business transformation and outcome measurement.

Ian is part of Birmingham Plastics Network, an interdisciplinary team of more than 40 academics working together to shape the fate and sustainable future of plastics. This unique team brings together chemists, environmental scientists, philosophers, linguists, economists, and experts in many other fields, to holistically address the global plastics problem.

Ian Thomson is chair of C-Change Scotland, a charity that provides individually tailored person centred support to enable individuals with complex learning needs to live independently and achieve their desires and aspirations (www.c-change.org.uk).

Ian Thomson is a board member for Scottish Council of Deafness, a charity that represents organisations working with and on behalf of Deaf Sign Language users, deafened, deafblind and, hard of hearing people, in order to  provides effective working partnerships between the Voluntary Sector, Social Work and Education Departments, NHS Trusts, Health Boards and the Government (www.scod.org.uk).