Faculty in the Spotlight: Frans Boumans

Frans Boumans

For over two decades, Professor Frans Boumans has taught classes at Webster Leiden. He joined the university back in 1993 and continues to use his expertise in the world of finance to educate his students.“I grew up in the Netherlands,” he said. “For many years, I worked for banks that do a lot of international business. Alongside that, I also began to teach. Webster Leiden was one of the first. I’ve been involved with several international organizations since then and I like them a lot.”

Professor Boumans regularly teaches both Basic Finance and Advanced Corporate Finance at the university. These courses cover topics that everyone from a young financial adviser to the new CEO of a major company must know as they continue to build their careers.

“In the Basic Finance class, we discuss investments, working capital management, capital structure and how to raise equity,” he said. “I also cover international issues like currency and interest rate risks.”

In Advanced Corporate Finance, Professor Boumans kicks things up a notch. His students get the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge by participating in projects that help further build their skills.

 “They cover case studies and have to do some assignments where they analyze companies of their choice,” he said. “They also have to consider an investor’s perspective and decide if it’s a good company to invest in or not and why.”

Professor Boumans encourages students to focus on industries that they’re most interested in. For example, a student who wants to work for a corporation like Google can take a look at how it might further develop in the years to come. Part of his Advanced Corporate Finance course requires students to offer their input and advice on how companies can improve their output and increase their overall success.

“What I like most about teaching at Webster Leiden is that I can go about this in a way where students can learn the most,” he said. “In this course, they get to choose the companies and it can even be non-profits if they prefer. Students really seem to like this.”

But Professor Boumans’ students aren’t just those who are eager to pursue careers in banking or who want to work for a major corporation. He also teaches entrepreneurs and people who would like to start their own companies. His classes also go over how to finance a start-up via crowdfunding or through more traditional means like attracting venture capitalists and investors.

“I’ve been with Webster Leiden for a long time now,” he added. “I like their system, their students and that it’s a smaller organization. It’s an international environment and a lot of the students are coming from a business background. It’s great to get feedback from them and hear about their own experiences.”