In the bustling corridors of London Business School, Marcel Olbert has quickly become one of the standout voices in accounting and taxation. An Assistant Professor known for his sharp analysis of corporate tax policy and its real-world impact on business and society, Olbert straddles the worlds of academia and practise with unusual ease. In this edition of “Five Minutes with the Faculty,” he reflects on the hidden narratives behind financial statements, the future of tax in an era of global scrutiny, and what excites him most about teaching the next generation of business leaders.
Inside the classroom how Marcel Olbert shapes the next generation of finance leaders
In his lectures, Marcel Olbert turns balance sheets and cash-flow statements into live case studies, asking students to dissect real company disclosures in near real time. Rather than relying on static textbook examples,he integrates breaking news,regulatory shifts and recent IPO filings into class discussions,pushing participants to decide what they would recommend to a board or investment committee. His sessions often unfold like editorial meetings: students debate,challenge assumptions and are prompted to defend their analysis under pressure. The result is a learning habitat that mirrors the pace and scrutiny of global financial centres, where future CFOs, asset managers and regulators cut their teeth on complex, ambiguous data.
Olbert’s teaching is grounded in applied research, but it is indeed also highly personal and interactive. He regularly asks students to map financial theory onto their own career ambitions, using short exercises and collaborative tasks that sharpen both technical and leadership skills.A typical class might feature:
- Live analytics on current earnings calls and investor presentations
- Peer critique workshops on valuation models and ESG disclosures
- Boardroom simulations where students must argue for capital allocation decisions
- Ethics spotlights examining gray areas in reporting and regulation
| Classroom Focus | Leadership Outcome |
|---|---|
| Accounting analytics | Sharper judgment under uncertainty |
| Global case studies | Cross-border decision-making skills |
| Ethics in reporting | Values-driven financial leadership |
| Team debates | Confident, evidence-based dialog |
Research at the frontier corporate taxation sustainability and global markets
Olbert’s work probes the uncomfortable space where boardroom strategy meets public accountability, asking how far multinationals can, should and ultimately will go in shifting profits across borders. His recent projects follow real-time policy shifts – from the OECD’s global minimum tax to the EU’s openness rules – tracing how these reshape corporate incentives, investor expectations and the competitive landscape. Using large-scale datasets and granular firm-level evidence, he dissects who actually bears the cost of new tax rules: is it shareholders, workers, or consumers? The answers, he argues, matter not only for fiscal revenues but for social trust in business at a time when corporate claims about “purpose” are scrutinised more than ever.
At the same time, he is mapping how tax design can support – or quietly undermine – the transition to a low‑carbon economy. This includes studying how green subsidies interact with traditional profit taxes, and whether sustainability-linked incentives truly change corporate behavior or simply repackage existing investments. In the classroom and in policy debates, Olbert translates technical findings into clear trade-offs for leaders navigating capital markets, activist pressures and tightening regulation. His research agenda can be sketched along three interlocking themes:
- Global tax competition – how firms respond when jurisdictions race to the bottom or coordinate.
- ESG and the tax footprint – when tax planning conflicts with, or complements, sustainability claims.
- Investor reactions – how disclosure of tax and climate risks is priced in global markets.
| Focus Area | Key Question |
|---|---|
| Minimum tax rules | Do they change where profits are booked? |
| Carbon policies | How do taxes shape clean investment? |
| Market perception | Are “tax responsible” firms rewarded? |
From theory to boardroom how executives can apply Olberts insights today
For senior leaders, the value of Marcel Olbert’s work lies in turning abstract tax and disclosure debates into concrete strategic levers. Executives can start by asking sharper questions in the boardroom: Which tax decisions create sustainable advantage, and which simply add risk? How might more obvious reporting affect investor trust, credit ratings and the cost of capital? Practical steps include tasking the CFO and Head of Tax with producing a concise “tax risk dashboard” that links effective tax rates, controversy exposure and reputational metrics to corporate objectives. Boards can also embed these insights into capital allocation, ensuring that M&A models, repatriation choices and holding structures are evaluated not just for short-term tax savings but for long-term resilience under evolving regulation.
- Align tax strategy with corporate purpose and ESG narratives.
- Stress-test scenarios under different regulatory and disclosure regimes.
- Integrate tax data into investor communications and analyst briefings.
- Reframe incentives so management is rewarded for robustness, not only rate minimisation.
| Board Priority | Olbert-Inspired Action |
|---|---|
| Reputation & trust | Publish a concise tax principles statement |
| Investor signalling | Explain tax drivers in earnings calls, not just the rate |
| Risk oversight | Include tax controversies in the enterprise risk register |
| Long-term value | Evaluate projects on post-tax and post-scrutiny returns |
Guidance for aspiring scholars building a meaningful career in accounting and finance
Olbert stresses that serious scholarship begins with curiosity, not career strategy. Instead of chasing “hot topics”,he encourages students to look for questions that genuinely bother them: Why do some firms seem to pay no tax? How do investors price sustainability claims? Why do accounting rules shape real decisions rather than just reports? From there,he suggests building a toolkit of methods that allows you to pursue those questions rigorously over time. That means getting uncomfortable with data and coding,reading outside your discipline and learning to accept that most days in research are spent refining,rejecting or rethinking ideas. He also advises early-career scholars to be purposeful about where they invest their energy:
- Prioritise depth over quantity – one well-executed project can define your voice more than several rushed papers.
- Cultivate mentors – seek feedback from people who will challenge your assumptions, not just endorse your narrative.
- Engage with practice – talk to CFOs, auditors, regulators and investors to test whether your questions matter beyond academia.
- Protect thinking time – block out hours for reading and reflection, not just data runs and deadlines.
He views a “meaningful” career in accounting and finance as one that bridges theories and boardrooms, combining conceptual clarity with practical impact. This often means embedding yourself in international conversations about tax policy, financial reporting and capital markets, and being willing to present your work in venues far beyond academic conferences. Olbert highlights that London Business School’s location and network expose scholars to decision-makers who are redefining the global financial architecture,from Big Four partners to sovereign wealth funds.To help students navigate their path, he outlines a simple roadmap:
| Career Stage | Key Focus | Main Output |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-PhD | Build methods & curiosity | Research assistantships, coding skills |
| PhD years | Own a narrow question | Job-market paper with clear contribution |
| Early faculty | Develop a coherent agenda | Series of related papers, external visibility |
In Conclusion
As our five minutes with Marcel Olbert draw to a close, one theme stands out: the importance of looking beneath the surface of numbers, headlines and quarterly reports. In an era when businesses are scrutinised not only for their performance but also for their purpose, Olbert’s work offers a clear reminder that rigorous research can illuminate the real effects of policy, regulation and corporate decision-making.
For London Business School students, his classroom becomes a testing ground for these ideas-where data meets debate and theory meets practice. And for the wider business community, his insights point to a future in which transparency, accountability and long-term value are increasingly non-negotiable.
The conversation may have been brief, but its implications-for how we teach, study and ultimately conduct business-will resonate well beyond these five minutes.
