Associate Professor Sergeja Slapnicar
Associate Professor in Accounting
School of Business
Affiliate of Centre for Behavioural and Economic Science
Centre for Unified Behavioural and Economic Sciences
Affiliate of UQ Cyber Research Centre
UQ Cyber Research Centre
+61 7 334 68047
Researcher biography
Sergeja Slapničar is Associate Professor of Accounting and Co-lead of Digital Finance Research Hub. Her research is at the intersection of auditing, risk management, cyber security, and AI governance. She investigates how organisations financially quantify and audit cyber risk, coordinate the lines of defence in cyber security, and manage cyber and AI risks effectively. Sergeja disseminates her research findings to professional and regulatory audiences through policy engagement, practitioner journals, and by presenting at national and international industry events. She is a member of the Editorial Boards of Journal of Management Control, International Journal of Auditing, and Behavioral Research in Accounting. Sergeja is a passionate educator whose work-integrated approach, connecting students with real startups, has earned multiple awards, including faculty, university, and national citations for outstanding contribution to student learning.
She has extensive Board experience by having served as a non-executive Director in a systemic bank in Eurozone; in a multinational pharmaceutical corporation, on the Board of the Slovenian Agency for Public Oversight of Auditing, as a Chair of the settlement committee in owners' disputes (Slovenia) and as an independent member in audit and remuneration committees of various public interest entities (the Slovenian Bad Bank among others). She has trained over 1,000 executive and non-executive directors in accounting, finance and cyber security risk management at the Slovenian Directors Association, and advised organisations on risk management. Prior to her employment at the UQ Business School, Sergeja was a Professor at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. She is a member of ISACA; serves on the Education Committee of the Institute of Internal Auditors Australia and on the Auditing, Assurance, and Ethics Standards Committee at the European Accounting Association.
Publications
Book Chapters
Slapnicar, Sergeja, Groff, Maja Zaman and Stumberger, Neza (2013). Does professional accounting qualification matter for the provision of accounting services?. Accounting in Central and Eastern Europe. (pp. 255-277) edited by Cătălin Nicolae Albu and Răzvan V. Mustaţă. Bingley, United Kingdom: Emerald. doi: 10.1108/S1479-3563(2013)0000013016
Hartmann, Frank G.H. and Slapničar, Sergeja (2008). Objective rewarding, managerial motivation and organizational commitment: the intervening role of justice. Performance measurement and management: measuring and rewarding performance. (pp. 127-144) edited by Marc J. Epstein and Jean-François Manzoni. Bingley, United Kingdom: Emerald. doi: 10.1016/S1479-3512(08)18006-6
Buhovac Rejc, Adriana and Slapničar, Sergeja (2007). Organizational culture and managerial control after an international acquisition. New emerging economies and their culture. (pp. 101-118) edited by Janez Prasnikar and Andreja Cirman. New York, NY, United States: Nova Science Publishers.
Rejc Buhovac, Adriana and Sergeja, Slapnicar (2006). Aligning performance measurement and incentive systems to improve financial performance. Performance measurement and management control : improving organizations and society . (pp. 479-503) edited by Marc J. Epstein and Jean-Francois Manzoni. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier.
Sergeja, Slapnicar (2006). Reporting on corporate social responsibility. Competitiveness, social responsibility and economic growth. (pp. 339-353) edited by Janez Prasnikar. New York, NY USA: Nova Science Publishers.
Rejc, A. and Slapnicar, S. (2004). Determinants of performance measurement system design and corporate financial performance. Performance Measurement and Management Control: Superior Organizational Performance. (pp. 47-73) edited by Epstein, M. J. and Manzoni, J. F.. San Diego, CA United States: Elsevier.
Journal Articles
Slapničar, Sergeja and Joshi, Chaitanya (2026). The FABRICS framework: a Bayesian approach to financial quantification of cyber risk. Computers and Security, 167 104900, 1-18. doi: 10.1016/j.cose.2026.104900
Slapničar, Sergeja, Vuko, Tina, Čular, Marko and Drašček, Matej (2026). Collaborating across boundaries: toward an integrated cyber risk assessment by internal auditors and cybersecurity professionals. Contemporary Accounting Research 1911-3846.70052. doi: 10.1111/1911-3846.70052
Tsen, Elinor, Ko, Ryan K. L. and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2025). The effect of organizational cyber resilience on cyber incident outcomes. Journal of Cybersecurity, 11 (1) tyaf040, 1-15. doi: 10.1093/cybsec/tyaf040
Slapničar, Sergeja, Axelsen, Micheal and Eulerich, Marc (2025). Cyber risk management: an illusion of a risk-based approach. Journal of Management Control. doi: 10.1007/s00187-025-00401-z
Slapnicar, Sergeja and Vidmar, Tim (2025). Optimizing supplier cyberrisk assessment. ISACA journal, 5 (2025).
Slapnicar, Sergeja, Vidmar, Tim and Tsen, Elinor (2025). Process Theory of Supplier Cyber Risk Assessment. Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 29 (2), 1-33. doi: 10.3127/ajis.v29.5323
Joshi, Chaitanya, Slapničar, Sergeja, Yang, Jinming and Ko, Ryan (2025). Contrasting the optimal resource allocation to cybersecurity controls and cyber insurance using prospect theory versus expected utility theory. Computers and Security, 154 104450, 1-14. doi: 10.1016/j.cose.2025.104450
Drašček, Matej, Slapničar, Sergeja, Vuko, Tina and Čular, Marko (2024). Cybersecurity assurance. Internal Auditor, 20-22.
Vuko Tina, Slapničar Sergeja, Čular Marko and Matej Drašček (2024). Key drivers of cybersecurity audit effectiveness: A neo-institutional perspective. International Journal of Auditing, 29 (1), 188-206. doi: 10.1111/ijau.12365
Bongiovanni, Ivano, Slapničar, Sergeja, Axelsen, Micheal and Stockdale, David (2024). The three lines model in cybersecurity governance and risk management. ISACA Journal, 1 (2024).
Slapničar, Sergeja, Axelsen, Micheal, Bongiovanni, Ivano and Stockdale, David (2023). A pathway model to five lines of accountability in cybersecurity governance. International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, 51 100642, 100642. doi: 10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100642
Pollmeier, Santiago, Bongiovanni, Ivano and Slapničar, Sergeja (2023). Designing a financial quantification model for cyber risk: a case study in a bank. Safety Science, 159 106022, 106022. doi: 10.1016/j.ssci.2022.106022
Gale, Megan, Bongiovanni, Ivano and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2022). Governing cybersecurity from the boardroom: challenges, drivers, and ways ahead. Computers and Security, 121 102840, 102840. doi: 10.1016/j.cose.2022.102840
Drašček, Matej, Slapničar, Sergeja, Vuko, Tina and Čular, Marko (2022). How Effective Is Your Cybersecurity Audit?. ISACA Journal, 3.
Tsen, Elinor, Ko, Ryan K. L. and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2022). An exploratory study of organizational cyber resilience, its precursors and outcomes. Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce, 32 (2), 1-22. doi: 10.1080/10919392.2022.2068906
Slapničar, Sergeja, Vuko, Tina, Čular, Marko and Drašček, Matej (2022). Effectiveness of cybersecurity audit. International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, 44 (Internal Auditor 67 2 2010) 100548, 1-21. doi: 10.1016/j.accinf.2021.100548
Ličen, Mina and Slapničar, Sergeja (2022). Can process accountability mitigate myopic biases? An experimental analysis. Journal of Management Control, 33 (1), 1-26. doi: 10.1007/s00187-021-00330-7
Slapničar, Sergeja, Oblak, Karla and Ličen, Mina (2021). The Moderating Effect of Achievement Motive on Performance Feedback in Choices of Challenging Tasks. Journal of Management Accounting Research, 34 (2), 201-220. doi: 10.2308/jmar-2020-084
Slapničar, Sergeja and King, Robyn (2021). Funds transfer pricing and segment profitability—the case of Adriatic Bank. IMA Educational Case Journal, 14 (2).
Slapničar, Sergeja, Ličen, Mina, Hartmann, Frank G. H., Ozimič, Anka Slana and Repovš, Grega (2021). Management accountants’ empathy and their violation of fiduciary duties: a replication and extension study using fMRI. Behavioral Research in Accounting, 33 (1), 21-42. doi: 10.2308/bria-2020-021
Čular, Marko, Slapničar, Sergeja and Vuko, Tina (2020). The effect of internal auditors’ engagement in risk management consulting on external auditors’ reliance decision. European Accounting Review, 29 (5), 1-22. doi: 10.1080/09638180.2020.1723667
Oblak, Karla, Ličen, Mina and Slapničar, Sergeja (2018). The role of cognitive frames in combined decisions about risk and effort. Management Accounting Research, 39, 35-46. doi: 10.1016/j.mar.2017.07.001
Ličen, Mina, Hartmann, Frank, Repovš, Grega and Slapničar, Sergeja (2016). The impact of social pressure and monetary incentive on cognitive control. Frontiers in Psychology, 7 93. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00093
Poje, Tamara, Slapnicar, Sergeja and Valentincic, Aljoša (2016). The usefulness of CAPM for the Slovenian capital market (in original: Uporabnost modela določanja donosnosti lastniškega kapitala za slovenski kapitalski trg). Economic and Business Review: for Central and South-Eastern Europe, 18, 73-88.
Hartmann, Frank and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2015). An experimental study of the effects of negative, capped and deferred bonuses on risk taking in a multi-period setting. Journal of Management & Governance, 19 (4), 875-896. doi: 10.1007/s10997-014-9297-6
Slapničar, S., Lončarski, I. and Zaman Groff, M. (2015). Can oversight mitigate auditor's motivated reasoning? An experimental study. Economic and Business Review, 17 (3), 371-391. doi: 10.15458/85451.7
Zaman Groff, M., Slapničar, S. and Štumberger, N. (2015). The influence of professional qualification on customer perceptions of accounting services quality and retention decisions. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 16 (4), 753-768. doi: 10.3846/16111699.2013.858076
Genorio, Meta, Madon, Maša and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2015). The analysis of managerial compensation in privately-held companies in Slovenia (in original: Analiza managerskih zaslužkov v nejavnih družbah v Sloveniji). Economic and Business Review, 17, 71-87.
Slapničar, Sergeja and Buhovac, Adriana Rejc (2014). Identifying temporal relationships within multidimensional performance measurement. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 15 (5), 978-993. doi: 10.3846/16111699.2013.789450
Pikelj, Urska and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2014). Do auditors indicate financial distress of organisations to creditors? (Ali revizorji opozarjajo upnike na financne tezave podjetij?). Bančni vestnik (The Banking Journal), 63 (7/8), 10-14.
Slapnicar, Sergeja and Skapin, Marusa (2013). Will impairments based on expected loss model mitigate procyclicality? (Bodo oslabitve na podlagi pricakovanih izgub zmanjsale prociklicnost?). Bančni vestnik (The Banking Journal), 62 (1/2), 45-49.
Hartmann, Frank, Kramer, Stephan, Bosman, Conrado, Slapnicar, Sergeja and Dalla Via, Nicola (2012). Can neuroscience inform management accountants?. Financial Management, 50-53.
Hartmann, Frank and Slapničar, Sergeja (2012). The perceived fairness of performance evaluation: the role of uncertainty. Management Accounting Research, 23 (1), 17-33. doi: 10.1016/j.mar.2011.10.004
Cercek, Gregor and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2012). Consolidation issues of an international group from the currency risk perspective (Problematika konsolidacije mednarodne skupine z vidika valutnega tveganja). Revizor: revija o reviziji, 223 (1), 71-88.
Hartmann, Frank and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2012). Pay fairness and intrinsic motivation: the role of pay transparency. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 23 (20), 4283-4300. doi: 10.1080/09585192.2012.664962
Kosak, Marko, Loncarski, Igor and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2011). Corporate governance in the Slovenian banking sector: an empirical survey. Bančni vestnik (The Banking Journal), 59 (11), 29-38.
Sušnik, Suzana and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2010). Valuation of copyrights (Vrednotenje avtorskih pravic). Revizor: Revija o reviziji, 21 (5), 58-73.
Curk, Maja and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2010). Fair value and financial crisis - the revealed issues and some proposed remedies (Postena vrednost in financna kriza - razkrite tezave in nekatere predlagane resitve). Revizor: revija o reviziji, 21 (2), 65-82.
Gregoric, Aleksandra, Polanec, Saso and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2010). Pay me right: reference values and executive compensation. European Financial Management, 16 (5), 778-804. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-036X.2010.00558.x
Rus, Marko and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2009). Improvements in financial reporting and challenges for corporate governance. Bančni vestnik (The Banking Journal), 58 (11), 111-119.
Hartmann, Frank and Slapničar, Sergeja (2009). How formal performance evaluation affects trust between superior and subordinate managers. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 34 (6-7), 722-737. doi: 10.1016/j.aos.2008.11.004
Hartmann, Frank and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2007). "Hard" and "soft" management controls. Management Control & Accounting, 26-31.
Rejc Buhovac, Adriana and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2007). The role of balanced, strategic, cascaded and aligned performance measurement in enhancing firm performance. Economic and Business Review: for Central and South-Eastern Europe, 9 (1), 47-78.
Hartmann, Frank and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2007). Harde en zachte managementbeheersing: beheersingssystemen. Management Executive, 46-49.
Slapnicar, Sergeja (2004). Dividend policy of Slovenian publicly listed companies (Dividendna politika podjetij slovenskega borznega in prostega trga). Revizor: revija o reviziji, 15 (4/5), 40-62.
Rejc Buhovac, Adriana and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2003). The impact of executive managers' compensation contracts on performance measurement in large Slovenian companies (Vpliv pogodb o nagrajevanju članov uprav na merjenje uspešnosti poslovanja v velikih slovenskih podjetjih). Organizacija : revija za management, informatiko in kadre, 36 (10), 668-677.
Kavcic, Slavka and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2003). Earnings management incentives in post-transitional countries : empirical evidence from Slovenia. Revue internationale de sociologie, 13 (3), 481-498. doi: 10.1080/0390670032000139485
Slapnicar, Sergeja (2002). Managing earnings: factors that may influence the choice of depreciation method in large Slovenian firms. Economic and Business Review: for Central and South-Eastern Europe, 4 (2), 103-127.
Slapnicar, Sergeja (2002). Research on discretional choices in financial reporting (Raziskave diskrecijske izbire pri računovodskem poročanju). Revizor: revija o reviziji, 13 (6), 24-46.
Slapnicar, Sergeja and Kavcic, Slavka (2000). Contribution of various economic and non-economic theories to management accounting control (In Croatian: Doprinosi različitih ekonomskih i neekonomskih teorija razvoju računovodstva za nadzor). Računovodstvo i financije, 46 (4), 21-28.
Conference Papers
Slapničar, S., Vuko, T., Čular, M. and Drašček, M. (2025). Divergent cyber risk assessment by information security managers and internal auditors: Irreconcilable differences or complementary layers?. European Accounting Association Congress, Rome, Italy, 28-30 May 2025. European Accounting Association.
Slapnicar, Sergeja, Vuko, Tina, Cular, Marko and Drascek, Matej (2025). Divergent cyber risk assessment by information security managers and internal auditors: Irreconcilable differences or complementary layers?. European Accounting Association Congress, Rome, Italy, 28-30 May 2025. European Accounting Association.
Slapnicar, Sergeja, Axelsen, Micheal and Eulerich, Marc (2023). Measuring cyber risk: integrating methodological, behavioral, and organizational perspectives. Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, Gold Coast, QLD Australia, 2-4 July 2023.
Slapnicar, Sergeja, Axelsen, Micheal and Eulerich, Marc (2023). Measuring and managing cyber risk. European Accounting Association Congress, Helsinki, Finland, 24-26 May 2023.
Ličen, Mina and Slapničar, Sergeja (2019). The effect of accountability on managerial myopia. European Accounting Association Annual Congress, Paphos, Greece, 29-31 May 2019.
Slapničar, Sergeja, Oblak, Karla and Ličen, Mina (2019). What matters more to engage in challenging tasks: achievement motive, monetary reward or feedback?. EIASM 7th Reward Management Conference, Brussels, Belgium, 13-14 December 2019.
Ličen, Mina and Slapničar, Sergeja (2019). Can accountability mitigate managerial myopia?. 10th EIASM Conference on Performance Measurement and Management Control, Nice, France, 18 - 20 September 2019.
Oblak, Karla, Licen, Mina and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2018). Gender differences in incentive sensitivity. European Accounting Association Annual Congress, Milan, Italy, 30 May - 1 June 2018.
Cular, Marko, Slapnicar, Sergeja and Vuko, Tina (2018). External auditor reliance on internal audit : the moderating role of audit committee. European Accounting Association Annual Congress, Milan, Italy, 30 May - 1 June 2018.
Slapnicar, Sergeja , Oblak, Karla and Licen, Mina (2017). Incentive sensitivity to achievement motivation in cognitive task. European Network for Experimental Accounting Research (ENEAR), Leuven, Belgium, 2-3 June 2017.
Oblak, Karla and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2017). Incentive sensitivity in relation to achievement motivation in cognitive tasks. European Accounting Association Annual Congress, Valencia, Spain, 10-12 May 2017.
Licen, Mina, Hartmann, Frank, Slana, Anka, Slapnicar, Sergeja and Repovs, Grega (2015). Does accountability enhance cognitive control? : experimental evidence. European Accounting Association Annual Congress, Glasgow, Scotland, 28-30 April 2015.
Oblak, Karla, Licen, Mina and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2015). The role of cognitive frames in combined decisions about risk level and effort exertion. European Accounting Association Annual Congress, Glasgow, Scotland, 28-30 April 2015.
Slapnicar, Sergeja , Licen, Mina and Bostjancic, Eva (2014). Does a long-term personal relationship between an auditor and a client invoke conscious misjudgements or unconscious biases? An experimental Does a long-term personal relationship between an auditor and a client invoke conscious misjudgements or unconscious biases? : an experimental analysis. European Accounting Association Annual Congress, Tallin, Estonia, 21-23 May 2014.
Stumberger, Neza, Slapnicar, Sergeja and Zaman Groff, Maja (2013). The influence of professional qualification on customers perceived quality of accounting services and retention decision. European Accounting Association Annual Congress, Paris, France, 6-8 May 2013.
Slapnicar, Sergeja (2013). Vpliv merjenja uspešnosti in nagrajevanja uprav na njihovo odločanje. Annual Congress of the Slovenian Accounting Association, Portoroz, Slovenia, 28 April 2013. Ljubljana, Slovenia: Zveza Ekonomistov Slovenije.
Slapnicar, Sergeja , Zaman Groff, Maja and Loncarski, Igor (2012). How to mitigate auditors' conscious and unconscious bias?. American Accounting Association Annual Congress, Washington, DC, United States, 4-8 August 2012.
Slapnicar, Sergeja and Rejc Buhovac, Adriana (2011). Identifying temporal relationships within multidimensional performance measurement. Conference on Performance Measurement and Management Control,, Nice, France, 7-9 September 2011.
Slapnicar, Sergeja (2011). Prirejanje poslovnega izida in finančnega stanja podjetja ter možnosti za preprečevanje le-tega. Annual Congress of the Slovenian Accounting Association, Portoroz, Slovenia, 26 April 2011.
Hartmann, Frank and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2010). The effect of bonus scheme and bonus deferral on risk propensity : an experimental analysis. Workshop on accounting and regulation, Siena, Italy, 23-25 September 2010.
Slapnicar, Sergeja (2009). Disclosures of off-balance sheet arrangements. The Slovenian Institute of Auditors Annual Congress, Portoroz, Slovenia, 20 April 2009.
Gregoric, Aleksandra, Polanec, Saso and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2009). Pay me right: reference values and executive compensation. European Financial Management Symposium, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 9-11 April 2009.
Hartmann, Frank and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2008). Performance evaluation justice: impact of personality and context. 6th Conference on New Directions in Management Accounting, Brussels, Belgium, 15-17 December 2008.
Emmanuel, Clive, Kominis, George and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2008). The impact of target setting on managerial motivation & performance : the case of an Eastern European bank. 4th Conference on Performance Measurement and Management Control,, Nice, France, 26-28 September 2008.
Hartmann, Frank and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2008). How formality of managerial control systems affects managerial justice perceptions, motivation and organisational commitment. 4th Conference on Performance Measurement and Management Control,, Nice, France, 26-28 September 2008.
Slapnicar, Sergeja and Dovc, Gasper (2008). Kaj je poštena vrednost kapitalskih inštrumentov na plitkem trgu kapitala?. The Annual Congress of the Slovenian Association of accountants, auditors, and finance officers, Portoroz, Slovenia, 16-18 April 2008.
Working Paper
Abeysooriya, Sasenka, Akhlaghpour, Saeed, Bongiovanni, Ivano, Dowsett, Dallas, Grotowski, Joseph, Holm, Mike, Kim, Dan, Ko, Ryan, Phillips, Andelka M., Slapnicar, Sergeja, Stockdale, David, Swinson, John, Thonon, Geoffroy, Utting, Mark, Walker-Munro, Brendan and Willoughby, Shannon (2023). Discussion Paper: 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy. UQ CYBER and AUSCERT.
Data Collection
Tsen, Elinor, Ko, Ryan and Slapnicar, Sergeja (2020). Dataset of data breaches and ransomware attacks over 15 years from 2004. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.14264/dfe5027