CFO Ethnicity and Financial Reporting Conservatism

Abstract Demographic characteristics such as race and ethnicity have long been shown to affect individuals' decision-making and can be associated with various behavioral outcomes. In this paper, we examine the association between the ethnicity of a chief financial officer (CFO) and financial reporting conservatism in a large sample of US public firms. We find that firms headed by CFOs of nonwhite ethnicities exhibit less conservative financial reporting than firms headed by white CFOs; however, this effect is attenuated for firms facing greater external scrutiny. Moreover, nonwhite CFOs in our sample recognize a higher level of discretionary accruals than white CFOs. Our study contributes to the literature on financial reporting and answers the call for more studies on top manager ethnicity effects. More importantly, our findings hold implications for both regulators and investors, given the prevalence and significance of diversity initiatives in today's globalized business environment.