Dr Ruth Bender is an associate professor, corporate financial strategy, at Cranfield School of Management. Ruth joined the Cranfield faculty in 1994, having completed her MBA there. Prior to this she was a partner at Grant Thornton, where latterly she specialised in corporate finance. She is a chartered accountant and was for 13 years a committee member of the ICAEW's Faculty of Finance and Management. Other outside roles have included non-executive directorships of a Health Authority and an NHS Trust, and membership of the Independent Remuneration Panels for two local authorities. Ruth’s doctorate is in executive remuneration and her research continues in corporate governance more generally. She is the author of “Corporate Financial Strategy” (4th edition, Routledge).