The Helgi Soutar Bursaries are awarded to three EBS doctoral students

Montreal
Estonian Business School is awarding the Helgi Soutar Bursaries for three doctoral students in finance and management who are all exploring financial and managerial decision-making from different perspectives. The following doctoral students were selected for bursaries: Kristiina Esop, Renee Pesor and Jenny Silfver.

The bursaries were launched in 2019 thanks to generous support from Ms Helgi Soutar who was born in Estonia and lives in Montreal, Canada. 

The Estonian Business School is very thankful for Ms Helgi Soutar and Montreal Economic Institute for their contribution to the new support scheme for doctoral students, which allows EBS to compete on a more equal terms with publicly funded universities. 
 

Short biographies and description of research interests of selected doctoral students are following:

  • Kristiina Esop 

Kristiina is a PhD student at Estonian Business School studying management and administration. Her research interests centre on corporate social responsibility’s profitability for businesses and understanding strategic challenges on the state level. This includes for example reducing information asymmetry among public and private sector entities via  environmental, social and governance information disclosures and consciously managing information and data that may increase trust among interrelated stakeholders. Kristiina is also managing Estonian Responsible Business Network, cooperating and networking with different influential private and public sector organisations and institutions on corporate governance and responsibility issues in Estonia and abroad.

  • Renee Pesor

Renee is a fourth year doctoral student at Estonian Business School (EBS), where he studies management sciences. Renee has taught at EBS Helsinki as a visiting lecturer and is currently teaching at EBS Tallinn as a junior researcher. He is teaching subjects related to research methods and economics. In addition, he has been a committee member for Bachelor and Master thesis defenses in the management department, as well as a reviewer and supervisor for student papers. He has a Master's degree from EBS in International Business Administration (Cum Laude) with a specialization in Financial Management. His articles are based on envrionmental, social, governance scores and their effect on financial performance of firms. He has conducted research on firms’ subsequent financial performance focusing on three main channels firm's profits, sales, labor costs and capital costs. As well as on the long-term financial performance using propensity score matching in terms of size, efficiency, leverage, growth opportunities and profitability.

  • Jenny Silfver

Jenny Silfver is a PhD Student in Finance at Estonian Business School. Her research interests include governance factors of  investing, mutual funds and behavioural finance. In addition to her own studies and research Jenny Silfver is also a lecturer at Estonian Business School where she teaches Finance courses at the undergraduate level.  Jenny Silfver successfully completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business Administration at Estonian Business School. Her Bachelor’s Thesis “Investors' Entering and Exiting Decisions in Relation to Performance and Risk of Finnish Equity Mutual Funds” was awarded Best Student Paper in the category of Bachelor’s Thesis in 2015 and her Master’s Thesis “Market Conditions and Investors’ Subscription and Redemption Decisions in Relations to Performance and Risk: A Study on Equity Mutual Funds in Finland” also received the highest possible grade. Jenny also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Contemporary Dance from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London and she has a successful career in dance which she is still actively pursuing besides her academic career. 

 

For further information, please contact Prof. Meelis Kitsing, Head of Economics and Finance Department at Estonian Business School at meelis.kitsing@ebs.ee