Dr Abby Efua Hilson
“I WANTED TO ENSURE THAT THE COMPANIES COMING INTO GHANA COULD DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY , AND IT STARTED MY DRIVE TO WORK ON SUSTAINABLE PROJECTS ”
DR ABBY EFUA HILSON SENIOR LECTURER IN ACCOUNTING , KENT UNIVERSITY
of ESG , giving rise to this dichotomy of perception on its applicability to , and utility in , business . Hilson adds that , in addition to the myriad political approaches to ESG , there is a lack of skilled human resources capable of operationalising it in business . “ Ideally , legislation should precede and guide corporate approaches to ESG . However , global legislation on ESG that extends beyond carbon capture and worker safety is lacking . For small businesses , short-term financial pressures and a lack of a clear long-term strategy means that ESG is often pursued ad hoc and is de prioritised vis-a-vis other business priorities . Yet , investor appetite in , and demand for , ESG continues to grow , as issues such as employee diversity , climate change and executive compensation become increasingly important corporate concerns .”
Dr Abby Efua Hilson
Growing up in Ghana , where her dad was an accountant , Dr Hilson says she “ loved numbers as a kid ”, so , when she later moved to Canada , finance seemed to be the most fitting option .
During her MBA education , she realised that accountancy and finance “ wasn ’ t all about big bank balances , but it could be used as a means for good ”. That ’ s when she decided to delve into academia , planning to research areas that “ might make a positive impact on society ”.
Dr Hilson studied a PhD at Aston University , Birmingham at the time that commercial quantities of oil were being drilled in Ghana , her home country . Having seen the devastation on local communities famed for oil drilling – such as Nigeria and Angola – she didn ’ t want to sit back and watch the same thing happen there .
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