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Christopher J. Drew

Director at CTO Realty Growth
Board

About Christopher J. Drew

Independent director since 2022; age 44. Senior Managing Director, JLL Capital Markets, Americas, and Co‑Head of JLL’s Miami office, with 20+ years in real estate capital markets. Holds BBA and MBA degrees from the University of Miami Herbert Business School. Classified by CTO’s Board as independent under NYSE rules; participated in executive sessions of independent directors held around each quarterly Board meeting.

Past Roles

OrganizationRoleTenureCommittees/Impact
Cushman & WakefieldSenior Associate, Capital Markets Group~5 years (prior to 2010)Transaction execution experience in JV equity, preferred/mezzanine and senior financing
Pro Access, Inc.Sports marketing roleNot disclosedBrand/partnership exposure (biographical detail)
New York Mets Baseball OrganizationRole not disclosedNot disclosedOrganizational operations exposure (biographical detail)
HFF, Inc. (acquired by JLL)Joined JLL via HFF acquisition2010 onwardIntegration into JLL Capital Markets

External Roles

OrganizationRoleTenureNotes
JLL Capital Markets, AmericasSenior Managing Director; Co‑Head, Miami2010–presentDEI committee member; broad capital markets remit nationally
Big Brothers Big Sisters of MiamiBoard memberNot disclosedNon‑profit governance and community engagement
  • No current public company directorships disclosed in the CTO proxy biographies for Mr. Drew.

Board Governance

  • Independence: Board determined Mr. Drew is independent under NYSE Section 303A.02; Board majority is independent.
  • Committees (2024/2025): Member, Compensation Committee (Chair: Christopher W. Haga); Member, Governance Committee (Chair: R. Blakeslee Gable). Not on Audit Committee in latest proxy.
  • Audit Committee composition (for context): Chair, George R. Brokaw; Members, R. Blakeslee Gable and Christopher W. Haga; four meetings in 2024.
  • Attendance: All directors attended >75% of Board and applicable committee meetings in 2024 and 2023.
  • Leadership: Independent Chairman policy; current Chair Laura M. Franklin; executive sessions of independent directors at each quarterly Board meeting.
  • Governance policies: Related Party Transactions Policy (Audit Committee oversight); Code of Business Conduct and Ethics; anti‑hedging/anti‑pledging; Dodd‑Frank‑compliant Clawback Policy (effective Oct 24, 2023).

Fixed Compensation

Metric202220232024
Annual cash retainer ($)40,000 (policy) 40,000 (policy) 50,000 (policy)
Committee cash retainers ($)Audit Chair 15,000; Audit Member 7,500; Comp Chair 10,000; Comp Member 5,000; Governance Chair 10,000; Governance Member 5,000; Board Chair 65,000 Same as 2022 Audit Chair 22,500; Audit Member 11,250; Comp Chair 15,000; Comp Member 7,500; Governance Chair 15,000; Governance Member 7,500; Board Chair 97,500
Fees earned or paid in cash ($) – Drew48,659 49,977 64,965
Shares received in lieu of cash – Drew (elected stock)2,437 shares (post 3‑for‑1 split) 2,966 shares 3,546 shares
  • Election to receive cash retainers in stock: Drew elected stock in lieu of cash in 2022, 2023, and 2024, strengthening alignment with shareholders.

Performance Compensation

Metric202220232024
Annual stock award value ($)35,000 35,002 62,500
Annual stock award shares1,746 shares (post split) — (value disclosed, shares not specified) 3,740 shares
VestingImmediate vesting on grant Immediate vesting on grant Immediate vesting on grant
Disposition restrictionNot saleable until service as director ends Not saleable until service as director ends Not saleable until service as director ends
Options/PSUsNone disclosed for directors None disclosed for directors None disclosed for directors
  • Clawback: Company‑wide clawback policy applies to incentive‑based compensation per SEC/Dodd‑Frank; primary focus on executive officers rather than directors.

Other Directorships & Interlocks

CompanyRoleInterlock/Conflict Notes
None disclosedProxy biographies do not list public company boards for Mr. Drew.
  • Alpine relationship (context): CTO is sole member of Alpine Income Property Manager, LLC; governance safeguards include independent Board majority, related‑party approval policies; not specific to Drew.

Expertise & Qualifications

  • Capital markets expertise: Arranging JV equity, preferred/mezzanine financing, and senior debt for U.S. real estate assets.
  • Leadership: Co‑Head of JLL Miami office; member of JLL Capital Markets DEI committee.
  • Education: BBA and MBA, University of Miami Herbert Business School.

Equity Ownership

As‑of DateShares Beneficially OwnedPercent of Class
April 21, 20236,759 * (<1%)
April 21, 202413,678 * (<1%)
April 17, 202520,303 * (<1%)
  • Director stock ownership guidelines: Must hold CTO shares equal to 5× annual cash retainer; new directors have 5 years to comply (measured each January). Drew’s five‑year window runs from his 2022 election.
  • Hedging/pledging: Company prohibits hedging and pledging of CTO stock, improving alignment and reducing collateralization risk.

Additional Voting Signal (Investor Confidence)

Proposal (2025 Annual Meeting)ForAgainstAbstainBroker Non‑Votes
Election of Director – Christopher J. Drew18,048,078 1,154,115 128,190 6,302,087
Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (Say‑on‑Pay)18,335,194 816,340 178,850 6,302,087

Governance Assessment

  • Strengths

    • Independence and engagement: Independent director; member of both Compensation and Governance committees; Board reports >75% meeting attendance.
    • Alignment: Repeated election to receive director cash retainer in shares and holding of restricted stock grants until end of service indicate strong skin‑in‑the‑game posture.
    • Controls/Policies: Robust anti‑hedging/anti‑pledging, related‑party approval process overseen by Audit Committee, and updated clawback policy.
    • Investor support: Solid director election vote; strong Say‑on‑Pay vote, signaling confidence in compensation governance.
  • Watch items

    • Potential external interlocks: Senior role at JLL Capital Markets; monitor for any material transactions or advisory relationships between CTO and JLL that would trigger related‑party review; none disclosed in proxies.
  • RED FLAGS

    • None disclosed: No attendance issues; no pledging/hedging; no related‑party transactions involving Mr. Drew disclosed.
  • Overall implication: Drew’s capital markets experience and committee roles support Board effectiveness in compensation/governance oversight; his recurring stock election and growing beneficial ownership are positive alignment signals for investors.