Western honours Professor Martin Petrin as Outstanding Scholar in Research Excellence Awards
December 08, 2023
Professor Martin Petrin has been named as an Outstanding Scholar in Western University’s inaugural Research Excellence Awards. The Research Excellence Awards were established to recognize excellence across disciplines and career stages and celebrate efforts to advance equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization in the research community.
“Professor Petrin continues a long tradition of leading corporate law scholarship at Western Law,” said Dean Erika Chamberlain. “We are proud that he has been recognized for his innovative and influential research in contemporary corporate governance."
Petrin holds the Dancap Private Equity Chair in Corporate Governance jointly appointed with the Faculty of Law and DAN Department of Management & Organizational Studies. His research focuses on three timely topics: the liability of corporate entities; the purpose and goal of corporations; and the impact of AI and other new technologies on business and regulation. Across his research, Petrin explores the view that business can and should have a broader role in our society.
His work ranges from developing new theoretical models to practical insights for policymakers and the judiciary. Petrin’s research on corporate liability and purpose argues that corporations should have duties to the public, including broader liability and a 'corporate mission' that considers a wider set of stakeholder interests. His more recent work on new technologies examined the future of corporate management in the age of AI and analyzed emerging regulations on 'Trustworthy AI' developing suggestions on how to address tensions between existing rules of corporate law and governance, and new frameworks. His most recent ongoing project examines the trend towards AI-as-a-service and its impacts on both corporate governance and the regulation of AI in Canada and elsewhere.
Petrin’s research has been broadly cited by scholars, courts and practitioners worldwide. Notably, in January 2023, he was cited by the Delaware Chancery Court, in an important decision on McDonald’s executives’ personal liability for workplace sexual harassment. He acts as a consultant to governments, policymakers, NGOs and businesses. Petrin has submitted reports, briefings and consultation responses to organizations including the United Nations Intergovernmental Working Group on Business and Human Rights, UK Ministry of Justice, and Law Commission of England and Wales.
Prior to his academic career, Petrin practiced law with a leading international business law firm and has been admitted to the Bar in New York and Switzerland. He has also served as a visiting professor at NYU London, Notre Dame Law School, the University of Cambridge Faculty of Law, and the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and Private Law. In 2023, he was selected as the Kwa Geok Choo distinguished visitor at National University of Singapore Faculty of Law, a highly prestigious appointment previously held by senior scholars from universities including Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard and Columbia.
As a researcher, professor and mentor, Petrin has long been an advocate of equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization. He has written on board diversity and has explored the question of corporate purpose and the need for businesses to advance societal interests. Petrin has also provided pro-bono work to evaluate the ethical and legal aspects of artificial intelligence tools and help prevent undue bias. He has made conscious efforts to attract, work with and train students from equity-deserving communities.
Outstanding Scholars are faculty members at the associate professor level who have produced exceptional research, scholarly and/or creative contributions and have clear potential for ongoing excellence, significance and impact in their discipline and/or broader society. The Western Research Excellence Awards, consisting of a plaque and a research award, will be presented at a forthcoming annual public ceremony.
