Kish Parella Appointed to European Corporate Governance Institute as Research Member ECGI is an international organization that provides a platform for debate and dialogue on corporate governance.

By Law Communications
February 13, 2025

Kish Parella, Class of 1960 Professor of Ethics and Law at Washington and Lee University, has been appointed to the European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) as a Research Member. The ECGI is an international non-profit membership organization that provides a platform for debate and dialogue among academics, policymakers, and business leaders, with a focus on major corporate governance, ESG, and stewardship issues.

“I am so honored to join this amazing group of corporate law scholars from around the world,” said Parella. “I have learned so much from their research over the past ten years.”

The selection process was overseen by a committee of renowned scholars, chaired by Professor Jens Dammann, Professor of Law at The University of Texas. Drawn from Europe, the UK, North America, and Asia, newly admitted members join an established network of academics shaping the future of corporate governance worldwide.

“ECGI is a unique network of researchers from around the world combining the best scholars from finance and law,” said Dammann. “These new appointments will bring additional insight and energy to an already thriving community. Their work will provide value for everyone following the latest corporate governance developments and we warmly welcome them to ECGI.”

Parella is a recognized expert on business and human rights, serving on the boards of directors for Corporate Accountability Lab and the Global Business and Human Rights Scholars Association. She is also an International Research Fellow for Oxford University’s Centre for Corporate Reputation. Parella served as a co-chair of the 2022 American Society of International Law (ASIL) annual meeting, which allowed her to organize a global, interdisciplinary conversation on emerging issues in international law. In 2024, Parella was elected to serve a three-year term on ASIL’s Executive Council.

“This honor is important to me because it recognizes the impact and relevance of my scholarship on the intersection between corporate governance and international law – two fields that don’t always talk to each other,” said Parella. “My research builds a bridge between the two for both the academic and practice communities.”

In her work, Parella explores different levers for encouraging corporate responsibility such as board governance, responsible contracting, reputational risk, and supply chain compliance. Her scholarship has appeared or is forthcoming in Cornell Law Review, Duke Law Journal, Vanderbilt Law Review, Notre Dame Law Review, and the peer-reviewed Journal of International Economic Law and the American Business Law Journal, among others. Her research on corporate social responsibility has been widely recognized by both academic and practitioner communities. Three of her articles were selected for presentation at the prestigious Stanford/Harvard/Yale Junior Faculty Forum in consecutive years. Additionally, the peer-reviewed American Business Law Journal awarded Parella its 2021 Ralph C. Hoeber Award for Excellence in Research for her article, “Protecting Third Parties in Contracts.”

Parella joined the W&L Law faculty in 2013. In addition to teaching seminars on corporate social responsibility, she teaches courses on torts, contracts, business associations, international business law and global compliance. Prior to joining the legal academy, Parella practiced international arbitration and litigation at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP.

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