KHAS Finance Webinars – Lora Dimitrova
The guest of the Finance Webinars series organized by Kadir Has University International Trade and Finance Department is Lora Dimitrova (University of Exeter Business School) on Wednesday, November 29 at 5 PM (GMT+3).
You may follow Dimitrova’s speech titled “Executive Visibility: A Worthwhile Investment or a Futile Pursuit?” on Zoom.
Zoom Meeting ID: 83471981900
Abstract: We examine the role of executive visibility in attracting investors to Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs). We assess visibility in the press, on the web, and on social media. The most visible executives raise 58% more funds, complete IPOs in a third less time, and attract more investors at merger announcements than their least visible counterparts. However, this initial outperformance is not sustained in the long run, suggesting that visibility functions more as a marketing tool. Institutional investors trade on visibility by selling SPACs with less visible executives and buying those with highly visible executives, attracting retail investors, and securing their exit strategy ahead of merger completion.
About the Speaker: Lora Dimitrova is a Senior Lecturer in Finance at the University of Exeter Business School. Her research focuses on entrepreneurial finance, innovation, and venture capital. Her work has been published in top academic journals such as the Journal of Accounting and Economics, the Review of Finance, and the Journal of Banking and Finance. She has received numerous research grants including the Chaire Fintech AMF Grant, Coller Institute of Venture Grant, and the British Academy Leverhulme Research Grant. Lora gained her Ph.D. in Finance from the London Business School, and her M.Sc. in Finance from Concordia University.