TY - BOOK

T1 - Essays on the Role of Inventors on Corporate Boards

AU - Badawy, Mohamed

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - This thesis consist of two self-contained studies in the area of empiricalcorporate finance. The first essay examines how directors with patentingexpertise affect corporate innovation. We find strong evidence of a positiverelation between inventor-directors and firm innovation. Firms with inventorson their boards spend more on R&D, generate more patents, and their patentsreceive a higher number of citations and have greater economic value. Theeffects are stronger when inventor-directors are active and more influential.Additionally, we find that firms with inventor-directors are more likely toengage in radical and explorative innovations across a wider array oftechnology classes. Our results shed light on the importance of directors’innovation experience in facilitating firms’ innovation efforts.The second essay studies the impact of female inventor-directors on theperformance of female inventors within firms. We find that female directorswith innovation (patenting) experience are positively related to the patentingperformance of a firm’s female inventors as measured by the number, citations,value, and importance of patents they file. Firms with femaleinventor-directors employ more female inventors, who are more productive,and have a greater contribution to firm innovation. Further results show thatthe innovation productivity gender gap between male and female inventorsshrinks with the presence of female inventor-directors. These effects are morepronounced when the female director is a star inventor.

AB - This thesis consist of two self-contained studies in the area of empiricalcorporate finance. The first essay examines how directors with patentingexpertise affect corporate innovation. We find strong evidence of a positiverelation between inventor-directors and firm innovation. Firms with inventorson their boards spend more on R&D, generate more patents, and their patentsreceive a higher number of citations and have greater economic value. Theeffects are stronger when inventor-directors are active and more influential.Additionally, we find that firms with inventor-directors are more likely toengage in radical and explorative innovations across a wider array oftechnology classes. Our results shed light on the importance of directors’innovation experience in facilitating firms’ innovation efforts.The second essay studies the impact of female inventor-directors on theperformance of female inventors within firms. We find that female directorswith innovation (patenting) experience are positively related to the patentingperformance of a firm’s female inventors as measured by the number, citations,value, and importance of patents they file. Firms with femaleinventor-directors employ more female inventors, who are more productive,and have a greater contribution to firm innovation. Further results show thatthe innovation productivity gender gap between male and female inventorsshrinks with the presence of female inventor-directors. These effects are morepronounced when the female director is a star inventor.

U2 - 10.17635/lancaster/thesis/2378

DO - 10.17635/lancaster/thesis/2378

M3 - Doctoral Thesis

PB - Lancaster University

ER -