Martijn Cremers appointed dean of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business

K.J. Martijn Cremers has been appointed Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame by University President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., effective July 1.

Aug. 9, 2012; Martijn Cremers..Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame

Cremers, the Bernard J. Hank Professor of Finance and interim dean of the college since July, was selected from among a number of eminently qualified candidates who were considered during a six-month national search.

An internationally recognized expert in the empirical aspects of investing and corporate governance, Cremers joined the Notre Dame faculty as a professor of finance in 2012 after serving 10 years on the faculty of Yale University’s School of Management.

Cremers’ research has been published in the field’s leading academic journals, including the Journal of Finance, Review of Financial Studies, Journal of Financial Economics, Stanford Law Review and Northwestern Law Review. His research also has received significant media attention from the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and numerous other major publications.

“Martijn is a distinguished scholar with a deep understanding of and commitment to Notre Dame’s distinctive mission,” Father Jenkins said. “He will further the Mendoza College of Business’ work of making important contributions to research, training capable graduates who will be ethical leaders and encouraging us all to ask more of business.”

As dean, Cremers will lead Mendoza’s nearly 160 faculty members, who oversee undergraduate education and a variety of professional education programs.

“Martijn is a gifted scholar, teacher and leader who brings to this position an innovative business focus, global business perspective, the highest standards of excellence and integrity and a deep understanding of and dedication to Notre Dame’s Catholic mission,” said Thomas G. Burish, Charles and Jill Fischer Provost. “He is committed to partnering with the faculty to raise the level of research and instruction at Mendoza to even higher levels, and to help integrate Mendoza’s many strengths with other programs throughout the university.”

Originally from the Netherlands, Cremers earned his bachelor’s degree in econometrics from the VU University Amsterdam and a doctoral degree in finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

At Notre Dame, Cremers has taught courses on investments and corporate governance to undergraduate and MBA students. His study titled “How Active is Your Fund Manager? A New Measure that Predicts Performance,” which was published in the Review of Financial Studies, introduced a new measure of active management called “Active Share,” which is based on a comparison of the holdings of a fund with those of its benchmark. Since the study’s publication, Active Share has been widely adopted in the financial industry and has been incorporated in Morningstar Direct and FactSet ratings.

Since 2010, Cremers has been an associate editor at the Review of Finance, and he previously served an associate editor of the Review of Financial Studies and of European Financial Management. He said he plans to continue building upon Mendoza’s strengths in undergraduate and professional programs, while focusing on ways to increase the college and its graduates’ positive impact on business and society.

“I am honored to be offered this challenging new role at Notre Dame and look forward to working alongside our impressive group of faculty members and students as we confront the myriad business challenges and opportunities facing our society,” Cremers said. “I am grateful for the trust being placed in me and committed to advancing Mendoza’s distinctive mission as a Catholic business school, where we seek to educate business leaders who seek to contribute to human flourishing, cooperate in solidarity and compete with excellence.”

Burish praised the committee that recommended Cremers.

“The search committee members worked selflessly and effectively to identify and recruit a strong field of candidates for this important position,” he said. “The members represented the University well and were exceptional in every regard.”

Patrick Gibbons, executive director of academic communications