Dr Peter Underwood

Dr Peter Underwood is a Senior Lecturer at Auckland Law School, bringing extensive expertise in corporate law and governance from both the UK and New Zealand academic landscapes. Before joining the University of Auckland in 2024, Peter was a Lecturer in Law at Exeter Law School in the UK, where he taught Company Law, Principles of Corporate Law, Contract Law, Property Law, and Jurisprudence. During his tenure at Exeter, he served as Co-Director for the Research Centre for Commercial and Company Law.

Peter’s research delves deep into the complexities of corporate law, with a particular focus on corporate governance. He has investigated the tensions between shareholder capitalism and stakeholder capitalism, exploring power dynamics within large multinational corporations. His monograph, Corporate Group Legitimacy, evaluates the legitimacy of wielding significant power in the corporate sphere.

With a keen interest in technological innovation, Peter examines what corporate law can gain from technological advances and, conversely, what corporate law can offer to technology. He is actively seeking research collaborations and supervises PhD candidates in these cutting-edge fields.

Research Philosophy

Peter’s research sits at the intersection of traditional corporate law theory and emerging technological innovation. He investigates fundamental questions about corporate power, accountability, and the evolving relationship between corporations and society. His work on shareholder versus stakeholder capitalism addresses one of the most pressing debates in contemporary corporate governance.

Open to research collaborations and PhD supervision in corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, and the intersection of technology and corporate law.