| “For several years the general public has shown a
considerable interest in institutional investors, such
as pension funds, insurance companies and mutual
funds. This is understandable, as these financial
organisations manage large sums of money saved
by the public for their retirement, amongst other
things. Clients expect corporate professionals to
invest their capital sensibly. As Chair holder for
Institutional Investors my main focus is on research
into the products offered by these investors, the
returns they yield as well as the risks involved.
Pension funds have received widespread attention
in the last couple of years, partly because of the
interest of both the public and the government.
Institutional investors themselves have a large
demand for academic research in the field of
institutional asset management.
The Chair Institutional Investors focuses on three
main topics. The first one is education and research
in the field of institutional investors with a focus
on pension funds and investment funds. The
second topic is education and research into the
relation between the existing information on
corporate governance and sustainability, and the
financial performance of companies. These are
themes which currently receive a lot of attention
from investors as well as the main public. For
example, do companies that score well in terms of
corporate governance and their environmental
policy perform better or worse than other
companies? The third topic is education and
research into the investment strategy of pension
funds and insurance companies, more specifically
the strategic long-term allocation of investments
in stocks, fixed income, venture capital, real estate
and derivatives.
My own research into the field of sustainability and corporate governance resulted in the establishment of a new research institute, called ECCE : the European Centre for Corporate Engagement. This institute is to focus explicitly on the relationship between extra-financial information and the financial performance of companies, and investors in those companies. In addition, Netspar (Network for Studies on Pensions, Aging and Retirement) and Maastricht University School of Business and Economics offer first-class education to executives and professionals employed at European pension funds, insurance companies, banks, mutual funds and supervisory bodies. This Academy will be the School's contribution to the education of current and future employees in the financial industry.”
Additional functions (a selection).:
- Director of The European Centre for Corporate Engagement (ECCE)
- Director of the Netspar- Maastricht University SBE Academy
- Advisor to APG Asset Management
- Member ESG Advisory Board Deutsche Bank Global Advisors
- Member of ESG Advisory Board PGGM
- Managing Director and Founder of Rob Bauer
Consultants B.V.
- Associate Director, Programs, of the International Center for Pension Fund Management (ICPM) at the Rotman Business School in Toronto, Canada
- Member of ESG Advisory Board Duisenberg School of Finance
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