Summary

I am a Senior Teaching Fellow in Accounting and Financial Management.

I qualified as an accountant with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA). I have an MBA and MSc from the University of Portsmouth and a BSc Accounting and Economics degree from the University of Southampton. I am a Fellow of CIPFA and CMA and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

I am currently a part-time PhD student, researching the historical role of accounting and accountants in relation to World War 2.

Before teaching at the University I had gained extensive financial and managerial experience in the public and third sectors, which has informed my work in several roles at the University. It enables me to bring a practical perspective to academic study, showing students how to apply their learning in the ‘real world’.

I am particularly interested in how students adapt to cultural differences and I enjoy working with our international students to ensure that they get maximum benefit academically and socially from their time with us

Biography

I began working at the University as a part-time Lecturer in 2011. Since then I have held the posts of Year Tutor, Course Leader and Senior Teaching Fellow. 

I have also been a Link Tutor at International College Portsmouth, an Associate College of the University, where I worked with many Chinese students on their path to higher education.

For my MBA at Portsmouth I studied the development of social care for people with a learning disability. I followed this with my MSc Research Methods degree, for which my final dissertation looked at the approach of Chinese students to learning in the UK academic environment. I was pleased and proud to achieve a Distinction for this work.

Before transferring into higher education, I worked for over 25 years in the complex world of the National Health Service in Portsmouth as both a Finance Director and a Chief Executive. I qualified as an accountant during this time through CIPFA.

I then gained extensive experience in the social enterprise charity sector as a Chief Executive and also a Trustee. I was Director of Services at the Alzheimer’s Society and Chief Executive of Community First for Portsmouth. I passionately believe that students benefit from voluntary work experience in this sector: something I facilitate enthusiastically at the University

Research interests

I am currently pursuing my PhD in the field of accounting history, researching the role played in the Second World War by the accountants of the Special Operations Executive (SOE). The SOE was officially formed in 1940 and its purpose was to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in occupied Europe (and later, also in occupied Southeast Asia) against the Axis powers, and to aid local resistance movements.

I have had one paper published by the Accounting Historians Journal and have anotrher under reviw at Accounting History.

I take a keen interest in how students learn and how higher education institutions can help them - international students in particular - to adapt to the university environment and achieve academic success

Teaching responsibilities

I am the Coordinator for the Independent Study Project module, on which final-year accounting and finance students conduct a review of secondary literature on a topic chosen by them, followed by artefacts which contribute to a 4,000-word project and presentation. I enjoy bringing my research skills to teaching on this module.

I teach Organisations and Accounting, a first-year module for accounting students and am module coordinator for the Financial Management module on the Senior Leadership Apprentice/MBA programme.

Media availability

I am happy to take calls and emails from the media on my research interests and I am aware of the need to respond to journalists in a timely manner. Please contact me at ian.piper@port.ac.uk or call 023 9284 4632.