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)
Recent publications
Article
Quan, Lianfeng and , Gao, Xiaowen (2024), Fostering the success of direct entry Chinese students through cross-cultural awareness, creativity and enterprise, and scholarship and autonomy. Advanced HE. In: , , , . Advanced HE, In Partnership: 13537 . pp. 1-6 (doi: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/media/13537).
Gao, Xiaowen and , (2021), Engaging students in online learning: technology-integrated distance learning for Chinese students at partner institutions in China. Educational Development Unit, University of Greenwich. In: , , , . Educational Development Unit, University of Greenwich, Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching, 14 (3) ISSN: 2044-0081 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.21100/compass.v14i3.1220).
Gao, Xiaowen and , (2021), Engaging students affectively to stimulate social presence in online learning. Educational Development Unit, University of Greenwich. In: , , , . Educational Development Unit, University of Greenwich, Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching, 14 (2) . pp. 1-3 ISSN: 2044-0081 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.21100/compass.v14i2.1205).
Gao, Xiaowen and , (2021), The goal of employability development. Advance HE. In: , , , . Advance HE, Advance HE: News and Views (doi: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/news-and-views/goal-employability-development).
Gao, Xiaowen and , (2020), Seeking effective pedagogy for online learning. Educational Development Unit, University of Greenwich. In: , , , . Educational Development Unit, University of Greenwich, London, UK Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching ISSN: 2044-0081 (Print), (doi: ).
Gao, Xiaowen and , (2020), Proposing a cross-cultural peer support programme to enhance Chinese direct entry students’ academic performance and learning experience. Educational Development, University of Greenwich. In: , , , . Educational Development, University of Greenwich, Compass: The Journal of Learning and Teaching at the University of Greenwich, 13 (1) ISSN: 2044-0073 (Print), 2044-0081 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.21100/compass.v13i1.1057).
Gao, Xiaowen and , (2019), Innovative practice to support employability. Advance HE. In: , , , . Advance HE, Advance-HE: Knowledge Hub (doi: ).
Book
Gao, Xiaowen and , (2021), The study guide for international students at UK universities. XI'AN JIAOTONG UNIVERSITY PRESS. In: , , , . XI'AN JIAOTONG UNIVERSITY PRESS, XI'AN (1st) . ISBN: 9787569320220 (doi: http://www.xjtupress.com/).
Book section
Gao, Xiaowen and , (2021), Chinese international students' employability transition in UK higher education. Advance HE. In: , , In: Stuart Norton, Roger Dalrymple (eds.), Employability: breaking the mould. Advance HE, UK (1st) . pp. 38-43 . ISBN: 9781916359345 (doi: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/news-and-views/advance-he-launches-new-employability-case-study-series-2021-employability-breaking).
Conference item
Gao, Xiaowen and , (2024), Enhancing research skills in Higher Education: integrating AI as a supportive tool for MSc students using qualitative methods. In: Advance-HE: Teaching and Learning Conference 2024: Future-Focused Education: Innovation, Inclusion, and Impact, 2nd - 4th July 2024, Nottingham Trent University City Campus , . , (doi: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/programmes-events/conferences/teaching-learning-2024#Programmes) NB Item availability restricted.
Gao, Xiaowen and , (2023), Leading transnational education partners through distributed leadership. In: The 37th BAM 2023 Annual Conference: Towards Disruptive Sustainability: New Business Opportunities and Challenges, 1st - 6th Sep, 2023, University of Sussex Business School In: Xiaowen Gao (ed.), BAM 2023 Conference Proceedings. , (doi: https://www.bam.ac.uk/events-landing/past-conferences/bam2023-conference/programme.html) NB Item availability restricted.
Gao, Xiaowen and , Chan, Jin (2023), An alternative approach to support tourism SMEs’ circular practice financing: an activity theory perspective. In: MTCON 2023: 4th Conference on Managing Tourism Across Continents – Tourism for a better World, 15th - 18th March, 2023, Istanbul, Turkey , . , (doi: https://www.aemark.org/index.php/en/component/content/article/91-news/786-the-4th-conference-on-managing-tourism-across-continents-tourism-for-a-better-world-mtcon-23?Itemid=437).
Gao, Xiaowen and , (2020), Employability transition in Higher Education: case study of Chinese international students in the UK. In: Advance-HE Employability Symposium 2020: Breaking the mould, , , . , (doi: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2020-07/Employability%20Symposium%20Programme%202020%20-%20150720.pdf).
Gao, Xiaowen and , (2019), Embedding employability in course design: an international experience. In: Advance HE’s Annual Teaching and Learning Conference 2019, Teaching in the spotlight: Innovation for teaching excellence, 02 - 04 Jul 2019, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK , . , (doi: ) NB Item availability restricted.
Gao, Xiaowen and , (2017), WeChat, TED Talks and Financial Education. In: SHIFT 2017: Annual Learning, Teaching and Assessment Conference, , Greenwich , . , (doi: https://showtime.gre.ac.uk/index.php/edu/shift2017/paper/viewFile/1098/409).
Conference proceedings
Gao, Xiaowen and , (2019), Advance HE knowledge hub 2019: embedding employability in course design: en international experience. Advance HE. In: , , , Innovative Practice to Support Employability HEA 2019 Theme. Advance HE, (doi: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/teaching-and-learning-conference-2019-embedding-employability-course-design).
Gao, Xiaowen and , (2018), TED talks, WeChat and financial education. HE Academy. In: HEA’s Annual Conference 2018,Teaching in the spotlight : Learning from global communities, , , Teaching in the spotlight: Learning from global communities. HE Academy, Advance HE Knowledge Hub . pp. 21 (doi: ).
Monograph
Chan, Jin , Sciacca, Angelo, Gao, Xiaowen, Coles, Anne-Marie , Roskam, Helen , Debruyne, Dries , van Maldegem, Ageeth , Zavala, Jacqueline , Métreau, Eliane , Brutyn, Eline (2023), Financing the circular economy in the tourism sector: how can tourism SMEs use reward-based crowdfunding to finance circular solutions?. Interreg 2 Seas project FACET. In: , , , . Interreg 2 Seas project FACET, Vlissingen, The Netherlands (1st) (doi: https://www.kenniscentrumtoerisme.nl/images/6/60/Whitepaper_2_highlight_%28English%29.pdf).
Working paper
Gao, Xiaowen and , Ngoasong, Michael (2020), Curriculum adaptation in online learning environments. International Journal of Management Education. In: , , , . International Journal of Management Education, ISSN: 14728117 (Print), (doi: ).
Gao, Xiaowen , Ngoasong, Michael, Wang, Jinmin (2017), The role of technology context in influencing rural entrepreneurship in China: a focus on Taobao Villages. In: , , , . , (doi: ) NB Item availability restricted.
Gao, Xiaowen and , (2017), Do Corporate Governance Adjustments during a Market Crisis Affect Firms Value?. BAM. In: , , , . BAM, (doi: ) NB Item availability restricted.