Barry is a designated Research Professor in the Department of Auditing, College of Accounting Sciences at the University of South Africa (Unisa), where he graduated with a Doctorate in Auditing. In addition to receiving numerous awards recognizing his contribution to research, including Unisa’s prestigious Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research from the Unisa Chancellor and former South African President, Thabo Mbeki, he is recognized as an Established Researcher by South Africa’s National Research Foundation.
Privileged to live in biodiversity-rich South Africa, Barry is passionate about wildlife, regularly visiting game parks and game reserves. In addition to his representation on the Board of the International Crane Foundation, Barry is a long-serving member of the South African-based Endangered Wildlife Trust, whose species-focused conservation efforts address a range of endangered and threatened fauna and flora, including four species of cranes across southern Africa.
Despite a primary background in accounting, auditing and finance, Barry’s academic research focuses on the broader issues of organizational governance and accountability. His specific research interests, which focus on sustainability issues and the global SDGs, comprise three primary thematic areas. The first investigates and compares emerging organizational sustainability governance, reporting and assurance practices. Inspired by his passion for wildlife and conservation, the second involves collaborating with natural scientists to explore the extent to which organizations account to their stakeholders about their biodiversity impacts, especially on how their operations contribute to degrading, preserving, or restoring biodiversity. Against the backdrop of increasing economic challenges in developing countries, corporate donations to conservation-based non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are declining. The third study investigates the emerging innovative financing mechanisms that provide sustainable funding for the biodiversity preservation efforts of conservation NGOs.