Professor Coughlan is Professor of Accounting and Head of School of Business at Maynooth University. Prior to this he was Head of Accounting & Finance at Dublin Institute of Technology (now Technological University Dublin City Campus). He has held a visiting appointments at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He received his PhD from Warwick Business School. He was placed nationally and internationally in the final examinations of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). He was also awarded an Honorary Professor award from the Dublin Institute of Technology. His academic interests lie in how organisations build and sustain relationships, management control systems, sustainability and the business of luxury.