Key details
Dr Xiaowen Gao
Associate Professor in Accounting and Finance
Xiaowen obtained her PhD from Henley Business School and previously gained a MSc in International Securities Investment and Banking from ICMA Centre at the University of Reading.
Xiaowen joined the University of Greenwich in 2014 as a senior lecturer. She teaches on modules in Accounting, Finance and Economics at the University and internationally in China and Vietnam. She currently is an external examiner for the University of Surrey and the University of Southampton.
Prior to joining the University, Xiaowen taught at the University of Reading and Coventry University London where she was the programme leader for the MBA Global Financial Services course.
Xiaowen started her career as a financial market trader on one of the futures markets in Beijing, she then became an equity analyst at Shenzhen Nanshan Asset Management. Xiaowen was awarded Qualified Securities Analyst by the Securities Association of China and Qualified Managerial Accountant by the Ministry of Finance China.
Responsibilities within the university
Teaching and leadership activities:
- International Lead responsible for international partnerships in Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Hongkong.
- Visiting lecturer at Guangxi University of Finance and Economics, Anhui University, Hunan Agricultural University, Kaifeng University and Heilongjiang Institute of Technology in China
- Teaches Undergraduate and Master modules on Introduction to Finance and Economics, Banking: Principles, Practice and Regulation, Financial Markets and Institutions, Management Accounting, Advanced Financial Accounting, Financial Analysis and Valuation.
- MSc dissertation supervision
- Programme leader for (TNE)MSc Finance and Investment and (TNE)BA Accounting and Finance
- Committee member of the Greenwich Business School’s SEBE
- The University’s GOLD reviewer and mentor
Awards
- Best Student Feedback Award- CULC Staff Outstanding Teaching Award 2013
- Nomination for Faculty Outstanding Educator Award 2021
Recognition
- Co-Chair Corporate Governance SIG, The British Academy of Management (BAM), Jan 2025 to present
- External Examiner for MSc Accounting and Management, Southampton Business School, University of Southampton, 2020-date
- External Examiner for IFY Business, Economics, Law and Social Sciences, University of Surrey, 2020-date
- External Examiner for BSc Banking and Finance, Accounting and Finance, Business Management with Finance, BPP University, 2019-2021
- External Advisor for MSc Finance Programmes, University of Westminster, 2018
- SFHEA - Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, 2017-date
- Committee board member, SIG for Corporate Governance, British Academy of Management, 2016-date
- Paper reviewer for BAM annual conference-corporate governance, 2016-date
- Certified Management & Business Educator, 2021-date
- Qualified Securities Analyst, awarded by the Securities Association of China
- Managerial Accountant Qualification, awarded by the Ministry of Finance, China
Research / Scholarly interests
Xiaowen’s research interests include SME and entrepreneur finance; crowdfunding and the circular economy; trust and mutual fund performance; corporate governance and firm value; e-commerce and emerging markets.
For teaching pedagogical research, her research interests focus on technology-enhanced blended learning incentivizes students’ interest and engagement; effective design to embed employability into subject learning and teaching international students.
Key funded projects
- Centre for Political Economy, Governance, Finance and Accountability (PEGFA); Feb 2025, Amount of Funding: £1,200 (Title: Cross-border Knowledge Transfer in Franchised Transnational Education)
- The Scholarship Excellence in Business Education (SEBE); May 2022; Amount of Funding: £1,500 (Title: Engaging Transnational Partners in Quality Assurance through Collaborative Marking and Moderation Practices)