Corporate Governance Academic Forum at the University of Toronto

In collaboration with ECGI and the University of Toronto, the Johnston Centre for Corporate Governance Innovation at the Rotman School of Management will host its annual academic conference, showcasing the latest in corporate governance research by top scholars from around the world.  

The Corporate Governance Academic Forum will be held on Friday, October 2, 2026, in Toronto, Ontario. This one‑day conference will feature presentations and discussions of selected academic research papers.  A welcome dinner will take place on Thursday, October 1, and all attendees are invited to join.

Submissions from all disciplines on any topic related to corporate governance are welcome, including (but not limited to): boards of directors, executive compensation and incentives, mergers, ownership structure, shareholder activism, ESG and sustainability governance, governance of emerging technologies, and political influences on governance.

A CAN$1,500 Best Paper Award, sponsored by the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, will be awarded at the conference.

Submission guidelines

Authors are invited to submit full papers by Sunday, May 10, 2026 at 11:59 pm ET.

Papers should be submitted using the following guidelines. Failure to comply with these guidelines may disqualify a paper:

• Papers must not have been accepted for publication at the time of submission.

• Papers must be submitted with a cover page that includes the paper title, full name and affiliation of author(s), and a 100-250 word abstract.

• Papers must be submitted using the following file name format:

  • LAST NAME_Shortened Paper Title.pdf (e.g., DOE_Shareholder Engagement.pdf), or

  • LAST NAME_Shortened Paper Title_PhD.pdf (e.g., DOE_Shareholder Engagement_PhD.pdf)

• Please note that the selection of papers is at the sole discretion of The Johnston Centre for Corporate Governance Innovation. Submissions will be reviewed by the academic program committee (for more information, see below).

• Authors of accepted papers will be invited to present in-person at the Forum on Friday, October 2, 2026. For each selected paper, one presenter will receive complimentary registration.

• Accepted papers may be profiled in the Rotman Management Magazine and/or on the Johnston Centre website.

Submissions process

• There is a non-refundable submission fee of CAN$125 per paper. There is no submission fee for PhD Students.

• Please visit Eventbrite to make your payment (PhD students should select the free paper submission ticket option).

• After paying the submission fee, please submit your paper to johnstoncentre@rotman.utoronto.ca

• For inquiries about the conference and paper submissions, please contact: johnstoncentre@rotman.utoronto.ca