Sharon Ferrari
About Sharon Ferrari
Sharon Ferrari serves as Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of abrdn Emerging Markets ex-China Fund, Inc. (AEF), an officer role she has held since 2011. She is also Senior Director—Product Management at abrdn Inc., having joined abrdn in 2008 as a Senior Fund Administrator; her year of birth is 1977 . As of April 1, 2025, Ms. Ferrari did not own shares of the Fund’s common stock; officers and Directors in aggregate owned less than 1% of outstanding equity securities . She signed the Fund’s N-CEN report dated March 10, 2025 in her capacity within product management .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| abrdn Emerging Markets ex-China Fund, Inc. (AEF) | Assistant Treasurer of the Fund | Since 2011 (as of 2018) | Fund administration support for US registered funds |
| abrdn Emerging Markets ex-China Fund, Inc. (AEF) | Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer | Since 2011 (as of 2024–2025) | Finance leadership and treasury oversight for the Fund |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| abrdn Inc. | Senior Director—Product Management | Current (as of 2024–2025) | Product management leadership for US funds in the abrdn complex |
| abrdn Inc. | Senior Fund Administrator | 2008 onward | Fund operations and administration for abrdn US vehicles |
| Registrant: abrdn Emerging Markets ex-China Fund, Inc. | N-CEN Signatory (Director, Product Management) | Signed 2025-03-10 | Compliance attestation on regulatory filing |
Fixed Compensation
All Fund officers are employees of and compensated by abrdn Inc., the Fund’s administrator, the Investment Adviser, or an affiliate; none received compensation from the Fund. The Fund has no bonus, profit sharing, pension or retirement plans.
| Component | 2024–2025 Disclosure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base Salary | Not disclosed by the Fund; paid by abrdn Inc. | Officer compensation is external to the Fund |
| Target Bonus % | Not disclosed by the Fund; Fund does not operate officer bonus plans | No Fund-level bonus/profit sharing |
| Actual Bonus | Not disclosed by the Fund | |
| Cash Retainer | Not applicable to officers (director compensation disclosed separately) | Officers compensated by abrdn Inc. |
| Pension/SERP | Fund does not have pension or retirement plans | |
| Perquisites | Not disclosed by the Fund | |
| Clawbacks/Gross-ups | Not disclosed by the Fund |
Performance Compensation
No officer performance incentive plan is disclosed at the Fund level; officers are paid by abrdn Inc. and the Fund does not maintain officer bonus or profit-sharing plans.
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Officer performance metrics (Fund-level) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership | 0 shares | Ms. Ferrari did not own Fund common stock as of April 1, 2025 |
| Ownership as % of shares outstanding | N/A | Officers and Directors in aggregate owned less than 1% |
| Vested vs unvested shares | Not applicable/not disclosed | No officer equity grants disclosed by the Fund |
| Options (exercisable/unexercisable) | Not disclosed | No officer options disclosed by the Fund |
| Shares pledged as collateral | Not disclosed | Fund proxy does not disclose officer pledging policies |
| Stock ownership guidelines | Not disclosed | No officer ownership guidelines disclosed at Fund level |
| Section 16 compliance | Timely filings reported | Fund notes timely filings for officers and Directors |
Employment Terms
| Term | Disclosure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Employment start date at Fund | Officer since 2011 | Role evolved from Assistant Treasurer (2018) to CFO/Treasurer (2024–2025) |
| Employer | abrdn Inc. (administrator/affiliate of Investment Adviser) | Officer compensation by abrdn Inc. |
| Contract term length/expiration | Not disclosed by the Fund | Officers are elected annually by the Board |
| Severance provisions | Not disclosed by the Fund | |
| Change-of-control economics | Not disclosed by the Fund | |
| Trigger (single/double), acceleration | Not disclosed by the Fund | |
| Non-compete/Non-solicit | Not disclosed by the Fund | |
| Garden leave/Consulting post-termination | Not disclosed by the Fund |
Investment Implications
- Compensation alignment: The Fund does not disclose officer pay details and states officers are compensated by abrdn Inc.; thus pay-for-performance alignment at the Fund level cannot be assessed and is external to the Fund’s proxy framework .
- Insider selling pressure: With zero shares owned as of April 1, 2025, Ferrari presents no immediate insider selling or pledging pressure at the Fund level; Section 16 compliance is reported timely in proxies .
- Retention risk: Tenure since 2011 across officer roles (Assistant Treasurer to CFO/Treasurer) indicates continuity in Fund finance leadership; however, severance, non-compete, and change-of-control terms are not disclosed in Fund documents, limiting formal retention risk assessment .
- Trading signals context: The Board’s December 2024 strategic review implemented an ex‑China strategy, a 20% tender offer at 98% of NAV, and an updated conditional tender policy—events that may influence Fund discount/premium and flows; while not specific to Ferrari, execution and financial controls fall within CFO/Treasurer purview .