Notre Dame Institute for Global Investing establishes lecture series honoring Robert Wilmouth

The Notre Dame Institute for Global Investing has established the Robert K. Wilmouth Lecture Series in honor of a longtime Trustee of the University of Notre Dame and past chair of its Investment Committee who passed away Sept. 14. The series has been made possible through a generous gift from members of the Notre Dame family.

“Bob was a dear friend, mentor and titan of the financial services industry,” said Scott Malpass, vice president, chief investment officer and a concurrent professor in Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. “His visionary leadership guided the transformation of our endowment to one of the largest and most successful in the nation.”  

Wilmouth founded the National Futures Association in 1982, where he served as the president and chief executive officer for more than 20 years. He previously was president and CEO of the Chicago Board of Trade for five years. Concurrently, he served as the chairman of the board of LaSalle Bank for more than 20 years.

Prior to the Board of Trade, Wilmouth spent two years as a director and the president of Crocker National Bank in San Francisco, having previously spent nearly 20 years at The First National Bank of Chicago, where he rose to executive vice president and director.

Wilmouth gave generously of his time to numerous civic and charitable boards, including Notre Dame, where he earned his master’s degree and received an honorary doctorate.

The Notre Dame Institute for Global Investing (NDIGI) seeks to be the pre-eminent university-based investment management research and education program in the world. Notre Dame is distinctively positioned to combine its faculty, investment office, global network, international proficiencies, prominent alumni and conferences to create a virtuous cycle of learning and impact.

Managing Director Kevin Burke and Faculty Director Shane Corwin of NDIGI have noted that Notre Dame students are ready and willing to dedicate their lives to learning the appropriate skills to excel in the investment management industry.

“Through the Wilmouth Lecture Series, our students will be better prepared to meet the demands of tomorrow,” Burke said. “With the generous support of friends like Bob Wilmouth, we are fostering highly skilled, ethical leaders so the investment management industry will evolve for the better.” 

Over time, the lecture series will draw the best minds in the investment industry to share their perspective on leadership, investment excellence and other vital issues within the field. 

Malpass added: “Bob was a true Notre Dame man, embodying all the traits our University values most — excellence, integrity, faith and devotion to his family and community. He will be profoundly missed. However, his legacy and impact on others will carry on for generations to come.”