Prof. Dr. Michael Erkens

Prof. Dr. Michael Erkens is Rector Magnificus of Nyenrode Business University and a member of its Executive Board since April 2026. As rector, he is responsible for the university's faculty, research, education, accreditations, and student experience and, together with his colleagues on the Executive Board, for the strategic direction of the university as a whole. He is also Professor of Corporate Reporting and a member of the Department of Accounting.

Michael joined Nyenrode in 2022 and took on a series of leadership roles before becoming rector, including academic director, chair of program committees and department chair.

His research focuses on corporate reporting and corporate governance, including sustainability reporting, executive compensation, managerial ability, and succession planning. His work has been published in, among others, the Journal of Accounting and Economics, the Journal of International Business Studies, the Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, and Accounting Forum. It has received Best Paper Awards from the International Accounting Section of the American Accounting Association, the Western Section Meeting of the American Accounting Association and the China Governmental Accounting Research Center.

Michael holds a Master of Science in mathematics and economics (Dipl. Math.-oec.) and received his Ph.D. in financial accounting summa cum laude from Trier University, Germany. He was a visiting scholar at HEC Paris and at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business and later spent two years on the faculty of HEC Paris. From 2014 to 2026, he worked at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Interests

Michael enjoys spending time with his family and being active.

Most relevant publications

• Vos, F., Breijer, R., & Orij, R. (2026). DEI-Reporting: Maandblad voor Accountancy en Bedrijfseconomie (forthcoming).
• Orij, R., & Vogelgesang, R. (2025). Duurzaamheidsrapportages van de Nederlandse Rijksoverheid; Maandblad voor Accountancy en Bedrijfseconomie, 99 (5).
• Breijer, R., Erkens, M.H.R., Orij, R., & Vergoossen, R. (2024). Mandatory versus voluntary non-financial reporting: Reporting practices and economic consequences. Accounting Forum, forthcoming
• Breijer, R., Erkens, M.H.R., & Orij, R. (2023). Informatie over 'Social' (de S) in ESG-rapportages voorafgaand aan de CSRD Maandblad voor Accountancy en Bedrijfseconomie, 97 (9/10)
• Breijer, R., Erkens, M.H.R., & Orij, R. (2022). Veel soorten rapporten met niet-financiële informatie – door de bomen het bos weer zien? Maandblad voor Accountancy en Bedrijfseconomie, 96 (11/12)
• Adam-Mueller, A.F.A., & Erkens, M.H.R. (2020). Risk disclosure noncompliance. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy 39
• Erkens, M.H.R., Gan, Y., & Yurtoglu, B. (2018). Not all clawbacks are the same: Consequences of strong versus weak clawback provisions. Journal of Accounting and Economics 66 (1)
• Erkens, M.H.R., Jeanjean, T., Stolowy, H., & Yohn, T.L. (2015. International evidence on the impact of adopting English as an external reporting language. Journal of International Business Studies 46.

Ancillary activities

• WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management. Visiting professor