Prof. Cees van Dam

Cees van Dam (www.ceesvandam.info) is Professor of International Business and Human Rights at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is also Professor of European Tort Law at Maastricht University and Visiting Professor at King’s College London. His Erasmus chair is established by the Foundation for Peace Studies (Stichting Vredeswetenschappen) and sponsored by Amnesty International Nederland.

His research is on the crossroads of the legal and business management disciplines. He aims to contribute to enhancing human rights protection of people adversely affected by multinational corporations.

In his Rotterdam inaugural lecture (‘Enhancing Human Rights Protection. A Company Lawyer’s Business’), he analysed how companies, in particular company lawyers, may respond to human rights challenges and dilemmas. In his research he analyses tools and instruments to enhancing human rights protection: for the company’s employees, for the people working in its supply chain and at its subsidiaries, for the people living around their plants, and for the world at large, as the fight against climate change is a pivotal part of enhancing human rights protection.

Cees van Dam has been involved in several international research projects in the area of business and human rights. These include, among others, the Human Rights in Business-project, sponsored by the European Commission (2016), and research for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs on regulating responsible business behaviour (2020). He regularly takes part in debates and media interviews, and lectures on various aspects of business and human rights, both in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Cees van Dam is also Visiting Professor at King’s College London where he teaches English and Comparative Tort Law (LL.B), and Business and Human Rights (LL.M.) At the European Law School of Maastricht University, he teaches European Tort Law. From 2017-2020, he was a member of the Monitoring Committee of the Dutch Banking Sector Agreement under auspices of the Dutch Social-Economic Council (SER).

About the Chair

The Endowed Chair in International Business and Human Rights at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) was established in 2013 by the Foundation for Peace Sciences (Stichting Vredeswetenschappen) and is sponsored by Amnesty International Nederland. The chair was established to complement existing business and sustainability expertise at RSM’s Business Society Management Department, with legal expertise in business and human rights.