James Windels
About James Windels
James Windels is the Treasurer of BNY Mellon High Yield Strategies Fund (DHF). As of 2025 he is 66 years old and has served as Treasurer since at least 2012 per the proxy statements; earlier fund reports indicate he has held the Treasurer role since November 2001, evidencing very long-tenured continuity in fund administration . He is Director of BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. (since February 2023), Vice President of the Adviser (since September 2020), and Director – BNY Fund Administration, and serves as an officer across 47 investment companies (103 portfolios), positioning him centrally within fund accounting and operations for the complex . DHF documents do not disclose TSR or operating metrics tied to Windels’ performance; as a closed-end fund officer, compensation is set by the Adviser rather than by DHF, and the proxy focuses on Trustee (board) compensation rather than officer pay .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| BNY Mellon High Yield Strategies Fund (DHF) | Treasurer | 2012–present (Treasurer noted since 2012 in proxies) ; prior reports list Treasurer since Nov 2001 | Oversight of fund treasury, financial reporting approvals and certification for multiple DHF filings |
| BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. | Director | Feb 2023–present | Direct leadership role at the Adviser; alignment with fund administration across the complex |
| BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. | Vice President | Sep 2020–present | Senior management capacity overseeing operational functions impacting DHF |
| Dreyfus/BNY Fund Administration | Director – Fund Administration / Director – Mutual Fund Accounting | Noted in 2015 proxy as Director – Mutual Fund Accounting ; noted in 2025 proxies as Director – BNY Fund Administration | Core responsibility for multi-fund accounting and administration standards across the complex |
External Roles
- No external directorships or outside corporate roles for Windels are disclosed in DHF’s proxy or fund reports; the officer roster lists only DHF and BNY complex roles .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Disclosure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | Not disclosed by DHF | DHF proxies provide compensation detail for Trustees (board members), not for fund officers; officers are employees of the Adviser |
| Target/actual bonus | Not disclosed by DHF | The Fund “does not have a bonus, pension, profit-sharing or retirement plan” for Trustees; no officer cash bonus disclosure in DHF proxy |
| Perquisites | Not disclosed by DHF | No officer perquisites disclosed in DHF proxy |
Performance Compensation
| Incentive Type | Metric(s) | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSUs/PSUs | Not disclosed by DHF | — | — | — | — |
| Options | Not disclosed by DHF | — | — | — | — |
| Cash STI tied to performance | Not disclosed by DHF | — | — | — | — |
- DHF proxies do not disclose any officer equity or performance-based awards; compensation sections pertain to Trustees only . No vesting schedules, clawbacks, or change-in-control terms for officers are disclosed in DHF documents.
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Amount / Status | As-of Date |
|---|---|---|
| Officers, Board Nominees, and Continuing Trustees – group beneficial ownership of DHF shares | Less than 1% of outstanding shares | Aug 22, 2025 |
| 5%+ beneficial owner | First Trust Portfolios L.P.; First Trust Advisors L.P.; The Charger Corporation – 12,391,265 shares (17.04%) | Aug 22, 2025 |
| Record holder concentration | Cede & Co. held 99.4214% of shares of beneficial interest of DHF of record | Aug 22, 2025 |
- No individual officer share ownership breakdowns, pledging, hedging, or ownership guideline compliance disclosures for Windels are provided in DHF proxy materials .
Employment Terms
| Term | Details |
|---|---|
| Office term | Each officer holds office for an indefinite term until a successor is elected and qualified |
| Position inception (Treasurer) | Listed as Treasurer (2012) in current proxies; earlier fund report shows Treasurer since Nov 2001, indicating continuous tenure since at least 2001 |
| Employer | BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc.; Windels is Director and Vice President of the Adviser |
| Office address | 240 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10286 |
| Non-compete/Severance/Change-of-control | Not disclosed in DHF proxy materials |
Investment Implications
- Alignment: DHF officers and Trustees as a group own <1% of DHF, and no individual officer ownership or pledging information is disclosed; alignment signals via “skin-in-the-game” are limited from fund documents .
- Compensation transparency: Officer pay and incentives are set at the Adviser level and not disclosed in DHF’s proxy; absence of performance-linked disclosures (RSUs/PSUs/options, metrics, vesting) limits pay-for-performance assessment for Windels at the fund level .
- Retention risk: Indefinite officer terms and long-tenured service (Treasurer role since at least 2012, with historical documents showing 2001) suggest low near-term retention risk from contractual expirations; no change-of-control or severance terms disclosed at the fund level .
- Trading signals: With officers’/Trustees’ group beneficial ownership below 1% and no Form 4 signal detail in DHF proxy, insider selling pressure appears limited at the fund level; monitoring 5% holders (e.g., First Trust complex at 17.04% as of Aug 2025) remains relevant for float dynamics and governance influence .