GIGS 4th Annual Conference 2025
Call for Papers
Generative AI – Shaping the Future of Sustainable Business
Submission Deadline: March 23, 2025
Keynote Speakers
Kai Li
W.M. Young Chair in Finance
Canada Research Chair in Corporate Governance
Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia
Anup Srivastava
Professor, Canada Research Chair in Accounting, Decision-Making and Capital Markets
Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary
Charles H. Cho
Professor of Sustainability Accounting; Erivan K. Haub Chair in Business & Sustainability
Schulich School of Business, York University
We are thrilled to announce the upcoming GIGS 4th Annual Conference (2025) which will take place in the enchanting city of Hammamet, Tunisia.
The Global Initiative for Governance and Sustainability (GIGS) invites submissions for its 2025 Annual Conference, themed "Generative AI: Shaping the Future of Sustainable Business." The event will be held in Hammamet, Tunisia, from July 17-19, 2025. While the central theme focuses on generative AI's role in sustainable business transformation, we also encourage submissions addressing broader aspects of business, technology, and sustainability. The GIGS Summer Symposium offers an exceptional platform for faculty, students, and practitioners to converge in a refreshing and inspiring environment. It encourages stimulating transdisciplinary dialogues and debates, propelling our scholarship to new pinnacles. And what better setting to rekindle old friendships, forge new ones, and mutually inspire than the stunning beaches and azure skies of Hamamet, Tunisia. GIGS 2025 will also host a Doctoral Symposium and Mentoring on July 16, 2025.
Conference Scope
The conference aims to explore how generative AI can transform sustainable business practices and advance financial inclusion. We encourage interdisciplinary research that addresses the intersection of technology, sustainability, and inclusive growth. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Generative AI in Financial Decision-Making: Innovations that improve financial reporting, risk management, auditing, and fraud detection, with implications for increasing transparency and access to financial services.
- Financial Inclusion and Digital Transformation: The role of AI in expanding access to financial services for underserved populations, driving inclusive growth, and supporting digital financial literacy.
- Sustainable Development and ESG Integration: Leveraging AI to enhance environmental, social, and governance outcomes, and promote economic inclusion through sustainable practices.
- Supply Chain and Sustainable Sourcing: AI applications in optimizing logistics, promoting sustainable sourcing, and improving resilience across global supply chains.
- Ethics and Responsible AI: Addressing ethical challenges, data privacy, algorithmic bias, and ensuring that AI supports fair economic opportunities for all.
- Leadership and Organizational Change: How AI can reshape leadership strategies and corporate governance to foster inclusion and bridge socioeconomic gaps.
Key dates:
- Submission opens: 5 November 2024
- Submission deadline: 23 March 2025
- Notification of decision: On a rolling basis, latest on 15 April 2025
Best Paper Awards:
The following awards will be presented based on recommendations by the scientific committee and conference chairs: Conference Best Paper, Best Paper in Finance, Best Paper in Accounting, and Best Doctoral Paper.
Doctoral Symposium:
The Doctoral Symposium will be held on July 16th 2025. Interested PhD Students in the areas of accounting, finance, economics, quantitative marketing and sustainability should be nominated by a supervising faculty members (e.g. supervisor, advisor, department chair, etc.) by sending their nomination letter to academic@gigs-initiative.org before the submission deadline 15 March 2025.
Chair of the Doctoral Symposium: Dr. Luminita Enache, PhD, CPA, RN, Associate Professor of Accounting at Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary and Editorial Board Member at the Contemporary Accounting Research
The GIGS 2024 Organizing Committee
- Ines Chaieb, University of Geneva
- Nadia Massoud, University of Melbourne
- Robert (Bob) Wood, Macquarie University
- Samir Trabelsi, Brock University
- Imen Latrous, University of Quebec at Chicoutimi
- Amna Chalwati, Saint Mary's University
- Fares Belkhiria, McGill University
- Oussama El Ajal, University of Miami
The submission deadline is final and cannot be extended.
Conference Hotel
The conference will take place at Amber El Fell Hotel, Hammamet.
We have negotiated a highly competitive night rate for the conference group. To use our special rate, booking requests are exclusively received and communicated to the hotel using the following form.
9:15 - 10:45 | GIGS - ESG Certified Director: A Foundation
Foundations of Sustainability
Dr. Amna Chalwati
Associate Professor of Accounting, Saint Mary’s University
Prof. Samir Trabelsi
CPA Ontario Distinguished Scholar and Professor of Accounting and Governance, Goodman School of Business at Brock University
Green Finance & Financial Inclusion
Prof. Robert Wood
Consultant and Professor of Behavioural Decision Making, Macquarie Business School
Prof. Nadia Massoud
Endowed Professor of Finance, University of Melbourne
Sustainability & Risk Management
Prof. Ines Chaieb
Professor of Finance, Swiss Finance Institute & University of Geneva
Prof. Hatem Ben Ameur
Professor of Decision Science, HEC Montréal
10:45 - 11:00 | Networking Coffee Break
11:00 - 11:45 | Keynote Address: Global Sustainability Reporting: Materiality, Standards and Geopolitics
Prof. Charles H. Cho
Professor of Sustainability Accounting
Erivan K. Haub Chair in Business & Sustainability, Schulich School of Business, York University
11:45 - 12:30 | Panel I: AI & ESG Risk Management
Neila Benzina
Chief Executive Officer, Wimbee Technology
Prof. Charles H. Cho
Professor of Sustainability Accounting, York University, Toronto, Canada
Prof. Samir Trabelsi
CPA Ontario Distinguished Scholar of Accounting and Governance, Brock University
As ESG expectations grow more complex and scrutiny intensifies, organizations are turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) to strengthen their risk management strategies. This panel brings together ESG leaders, data scientists, and risk practitioners to explore how AI is reshaping the way companies identify, assess, and manage ESG-related risks, from climate exposure and supply chain vulnerabilities to social impact and governance integrity.
Panelists will share real-world applications, discuss the potential and limits of AI in ESG analytics, and tackle key questions around data quality, bias, regulatory compliance, and transparency. Attendees will gain practical insights into how AI tools can enhance ESG oversight, not replace it, while aligning innovation with accountability and long-term value creation.
12:30 - 13:15 | Panel II: ESG in Action: Driving Long-Term Value Through Responsible Business
Ahmed Karam
Chairman of the Board, Tunisia Leasing and Factoring
Kawther Mekni
K-SustaiNova Consulting
Nejla Gharbi
CEO, La Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations
Manel Zammouri
Partner – Head of Strategy & Deal Advisory – KPMG Tunisia & Libya
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles have moved from aspiration to action—and are now central to long-term business performance and resilience. This panel brings together business leaders and ESG practitioners to share how organizations are embedding ESG into strategy, operations, and decision-making to create real, measurable value.
Through practical case studies and open dialogue, panelists will discuss what it takes to move beyond box-checking, tackling challenges like ESG data integration, stakeholder engagement, regulatory shifts, and performance tracking. Whether it’s navigating climate risk, building inclusive cultures, or strengthening governance frameworks, this session will highlight what responsible business looks like in practice, and how it can drive innovation, trust, and competitive advantage.