Julie Bernard

Assistant professor
Julie Bernard profile head shot

Contact Information
Julie.bernard@uwaterloo.ca
Ev3-4229

Dr. Julie Bernard is a Professor of Sustainable Finance at the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development. Her research focuses on sustainable finance, responsible investment, and shareholder activism, particularly the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria, proxy voting, and their roles in addressing the twin crisis—climate change and biodiversity crisis—as well as their integration of Indigenous issues. From 2022 to 2024, she was a postdoctoral researcher at Ivey Business School, Western University. Her work aims to support the replication and scaling of an innovative Canadian financial product that applies finance for nature-based carbon mitigation.

Dr. Bernard’s research has received funding from several organizations, including Carbon Solutions @ Western and the Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA). She earned her Ph.D. from Université Laval in 2022. She was a Bertram Scholar with the Canadian Foundation for Governance Research. Dr. Bernard was also selected for the prestigious 12th PhD ARCS Academy, which brings together PhD students and senior researchers conducting pioneering research on sustainability across disciplines. Additionally, she was recognized on the #Thinklist Next21, which highlights the next generation of doctoral researchers shaping the future of responsible business.

Selected Publications

  • Bernard, J. , Boiral, O., Guillaumie, L., & Brotherton, M.-C. (2022). Does proxy voting really promote corporate sustainability? Corporate Governance: An International Review, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/corg.12464

  • Alawattage, C., Arjaliès, D.-L., Barrett, M., Bernard, J., et al. (2021), Opening Accounting: A Manifesto, Editorial, Accouting Forum, 45 (3). Rating ABDC: B

  • Arjaliès, D-L, Bernard, J.  & Putumbaka, B. (2021), Report on Responsible Investment & Indigenous Communities, funded by the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership (Western University)

  • Boiral, O., Heras, I, Brotherton, M-C & Bernard, J.  (2019), "Ethical Issues in the Assurance of Sustainability Reports: Perspectives from Assurance Providers", Journal of Business Ethics,159 (4), p. 1111-1125.

Degrees

  • Postdoc - Sustainability & Accounting, Ivey Business School, Western University

  • PhD - Administrative Sciences, Université Laval

  • MAP - École nationale d’administration publique

  • BScSoc - University of Ottawa