UTEP Hunt Business Faculty Member Sadok El Ghoul Earns Royal Society of Canada Medal
EL PASO, Texas (Dec. 15, 2025) – Professor of Finance Sadok El Ghoul, Ph.D., has been awarded the Yvan Allaire Medal from the Royal Society of Canada for his contributions to the governance of public and private organizations.
The medal is presented annually to one scholar whose research has meaningfully advanced the understanding of governance. Established in 2018, the award includes a $5,000 prize and honors the legacy of Professor Yvan Allaire. The Royal Society of Canada, founded in 1882, serves as the national academy for scholars, scientists and artists.
For El Ghoul, the recognition highlights the longevity and relevance of the questions he has pursued throughout his career.
“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by the Royal Society of Canada,” he said. “Research is rewarding but it can also be tough: years of collecting data, writing drafts, and revising papers without knowing whether the work will matter. Receiving this medal is a strong signal that the questions I have devoted my career to are relevant, and it motivates me for the work ahead.”
El Ghoul’s work examines how firms are governed, how they behave and how they are disciplined in different institutional and cultural environments. His research spans state-owned and privately held firms; shareholder and stakeholder governance; internal and external mechanisms; and the influence of both formal and informal institutions. His most recent publication reviews global evidence on how institutional investors shape governance.
“Governance, without a doubt, is the common thread,” he said. “My first published paper examined the role of multiple large shareholders, and I have stayed in this area ever since.”
El Ghoul joined UTEP in 2025, making the recognition a meaningful way to begin his first year on campus. He is a Regent’s Distinguished Research Professor and holds the Marcus Jonathan Hunt Distinguished Chair in International Business, a position that reflects both his scholarly stature and his central role in advancing the college’s strategic vision to become a national leader in U.S.-Mexico trade and commerce research.
Teaching and mentorship are part of the job. Governance will be central to the Ph.D. seminar he teaches next semester, and he is currently collaborating with Ph.D. students and colleagues on several new projects.
Looking ahead, El Ghoul sees emerging challenges for organizations, especially as artificial intelligence reshapes nearly every governance mechanism — from board oversight to executive compensation to institutional investor behavior.
“AI is reshaping governance faster than most organizations can adapt,” he said. “Directors will have access to AI-generated insights that no longer depend on management filters. Institutional investors will rely on AI tools to screen firms and vote their shares. Executive pay will be redesigned as AI sets real-time benchmarks. Auditing will shift to full-population testing.”
At the center of his work is a message he hopes students, scholars, and practitioners will carry forward.
“Context matters,” El Ghoul said. “A governance mechanism that works in one institutional environment can fail in another. My hope is that readers walk away with the idea that governance is never one-size-fits-all, and that context explains why things work differently.”
Last Updated on December 15, 2025 at 12:00 AM | Originally published December 15, 2025
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
