J. (Hans) van Oosterhout (MSc Leiden University 1993, PhD, Erasmus University 2002) is a professor of Corporate Governance at the Department of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM).

His expertise is on the ownership and governance strategies of different types of firms, such as firms with different types of owners at different stages of the firm life cycle, for example. Some of his current research streams include:

• Making shareholder democracy work: The control strategies of minority shareholders in publicly listed firms around the world.
• The ownership and governance strategies of family firms: Why, how, and on what terms do family owners exit their firms?
• The early life-cycle ownership and governance strategies of new ventures and founder led firms.
• The evolution of ownership and governance in professional partnerships.
• Rethinking ownership for the twenty-first century: Developing novel conceptions of corporate ownership for a complex and rapidly changing world.

Hans has published extensively in journals including the Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Journal of Management, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management Studies, Human Relations, as well as various other academic and professional outlets. He has been a visiting professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and is a non-executive board member at RSM BV, the university-owned private company through which the Rotterdam School of Management offers its (Executive) MBA and Executive Education programs. Driven by his intellectual curiosity, Hans engages with managers, owners, as well as other stakeholders on strategic questions regarding the ownership and governance strategies of private enterprise organizations. He is especially interested in transitions in the ownership and governance of firms.