Erik D. Ojala
About Erik D. Ojala
Erik D. Ojala (year of birth 1975) serves as Vice President and Secretary of Calamos Dynamic Convertible and Income Fund (CCD) since September 2023. He is Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at CAM, CILLC, Calamos Advisors, and Calamos Wealth Management; Chief Legal Officer at Calamos Antetokounmpo Asset Management (CGAM); and General Counsel and Secretary at Calamos Financial Services (CFS) (all since 2023). Prior roles include Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Harbor Capital Advisors (2017–2023), Secretary (2010–2023), Chief Compliance Officer (2022–2023), and leadership positions across Harbor Trust Company, Harbor Funds Distributors, Harbor Services Group, Harbor ETF Trust, and Harbor Funds (2014–2023). Fund officer address is 2020 Calamos Court, Naperville, IL 60563-2787 .
Ojala filed an SEC Form 3 upon appointment indicating no beneficial ownership of CCD at that time .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harbor Capital Advisors, Inc. | Executive Vice President & General Counsel; Secretary; Chief Compliance Officer | EVP & GC (2017–2023); Secretary (2010–2023); CCO (2022–2023) | Led legal and compliance across a multi-fund complex; elevated compliance rigor during role expansion . |
| Harbor Trust Company, Inc. | Director & Secretary; Chief Compliance Officer | Director & Secretary (2019–2023); CCO (2022–2023) | Strengthened trust governance and regulatory oversight . |
| Harbor Funds Distributors, Inc. | Director & Executive Vice President; Chief Compliance Officer | Director & EVP (2017–2023); CCO (2017–2021; 2022–2023) | Oversaw distribution compliance and supervisory controls . |
| Harbor Services Group, Inc. | Director; Assistant Secretary; Chief Compliance Officer | Director (2017–2023); Assistant Secretary (2014–2023); CCO (2022–2023) | Enhanced service company governance and documentation controls . |
| Harbor ETF Trust | Chief Compliance Officer | 2021–2023 | ETF-specific compliance frameworks and filings . |
| Harbor Funds | Chief Compliance Officer | 2017–2023 | Complex-wide compliance programs and fund oversight . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAM; CILLC; Calamos Advisors; CWM | Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary | Since 2023 | Group-wide legal leadership aligning adviser, distribution, and wealth management entities . |
| CGAM (Calamos Antetokounmpo Asset Management) | Chief Legal Officer | Since 2023 | Built legal infrastructure for new asset management venture . |
| CFS (Calamos Financial Services) | General Counsel & Secretary | Since 2023 | Oversight of broker-dealer governance and regulatory filings . |
Fixed Compensation
- CCD’s proxy discloses trustee compensation (non-interested trustees) but does not disclose fund-level compensation for officers; officers’ principal employment is at Calamos Advisors and affiliates, suggesting adviser-level compensation rather than fund-level pay .
Trustee compensation schedule (context for CCD governance economics):
| Compensation Element | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual retainer (non-interested trustees) | $210,000 |
| Lead Independent Trustee supplement | $40,000 |
| Audit Committee Chair supplement | $20,000 |
| Other Committee Chair supplement | $10,000 |
| Special meeting (in person) | $7,000 |
| Special meeting (by phone) | $3,500 |
Performance Compensation
- No performance-metric compensation disclosures for fund officers in CCD’s proxy; compensation discussion focuses on trustees and audit matters. Ojala’s incentive structure (if any) would be determined at the adviser level, not disclosed in CCD filings .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Metric | 09-28-2023 | 03-31-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Ojala beneficial ownership (shares) | 0 (Form 3) | Not individually disclosed; trustees and officers as a group hold 1,388,960 CCD common shares (5.2% of outstanding) . |
| CCD shares outstanding (context) | n/a | 27,054,934 common; 3,670,000 preferred . |
| Pledging / hedging | Not disclosed | Not disclosed . |
Notes: Ojala’s individual CCD holdings are not enumerated in the 2025 proxy table; his initial Form 3 showed zero holdings, which reduces near-term insider selling pressure indicators .
Employment Terms
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current fund role | Vice President and Secretary of CCD (since September 2023) . |
| Principal occupation | SVP, General Counsel & Secretary across CAM, CILLC, Calamos Advisors, CWM; Chief Legal Officer at CGAM; GC & Secretary at CFS (since 2023) . |
| Location | 2020 Calamos Court, Naperville, IL 60563-2787 . |
| Contract/severance/change-of-control | Not disclosed in CCD proxy . |
| Clawbacks/ownership guidelines | Not disclosed for officers in CCD proxy . |
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance alignment at the fund level is limited for officers: CCD’s proxy does not disclose officer compensation structures or performance metrics; Ojala’s compensation is tied to the adviser complex (Calamos Advisors) rather than CCD-specific outcomes, diluting fund-level incentive alignment .
- Insider selling pressure appears low in the near term: Ojala reported zero beneficial ownership upon appointment, and his individual holdings are not disclosed later; aggregate trustees and officers hold 5.2% of CCD, largely driven by founder holdings (John P. Calamos, Sr. at 5.4%), not officer-level positions like Ojala .
- Retention risk hinges on adviser-level terms: As a senior legal executive across Calamos entities, Ojala’s retention and severance economics are governed at the adviser level, not disclosed in CCD’s filings; investors should monitor adviser governance and stability rather than fund-level contracts .
- Governance context: CCD provides detailed trustee compensation and audit oversight but no officer pay disclosures, consistent with closed-end fund practice where officers are adviser employees; focus on trustee independence, audit quality, and adviser alignment to assess overall governance and potential impact on fund operations .