Per September the 1st 2007, Tilburg University and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven have appointed Professor Graeme Cooper to the first Chair of the PricewaterhouseCoopers International and European Tax Fund. Professor Cooper from the University of Sydney, Australia, is the first professor to hold this annually rotating chair.

 Exclusively sponsored by:

From left to right: Prof. Essers (Tilburg University), Van der Made (PwC), Prof. Cooper (University of Sydney), Prof. Vanistendael (K.U.Leuven), Prof. Van der Duyn Schouten(Tilburg University), Prof. Kemmeren (Tilburg University).

Graeme Cooper is widely known for his publications on international and comparative tax law. In addition, he is a sought-after teacher within his area of expertise. Within his position as extraordinary Professor holding the International and European Tax Chair, he will both conduct research and teach as part of the Advanced Master of Law programme in European and International Taxation. This Master is organised by the European Tax College, a cooperation between Tilburg University and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. During 2008, Cooper will tend to his inaugurational speech and contribute to a special conference preceding this speech.

The PricewaterhouseCoopers International and European Tax Fund has recently been established in order to stimulate international cooperation and independent scientific education and research. Chairman of the Fund is dr. Onno Ruding, former Minister of Finance in the Netherlands, former vice-president of the Citicorp Bank in New York and representative of Citicorp in Brussels. PricewaterhouseCoopers sponsors the fund for a timeperiode of five years. The fund supports  Het fonds ondersteunt various international educational activities of the European Tax College. The chair will every year by rotation be filled by either a Professor from a European country or from outside Europe.

Graeme S. Cooper studied at the University of Sydney, the University of Illinois and Columbia University in the City of New York, the latter at which he also got his doctoral degree. He has won various academic awards and has been in service of different Australian universities. During 1997, he has been appointed to Professor in Tax Law at the University of Melbourne and since 2002 is a Professor of Tax Law at the University of Sydney. As of 2000, he has also been connected to the European Tax College at Tilburg University and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Cooper is furthermore engaged in advising activities,  strengthens the editorial staff of scientific magazines and occasionally appears in media broadcasts.