Peter M. Sullivan
About Peter M. Sullivan
Peter M. Sullivan is Chief Legal Officer, Vice President, and Assistant Secretary of BNY Mellon High Yield Strategies Fund (DHF), serving in officer roles since 2019 and as Chief Legal Officer since July 2021; he is 57 years old and concurrently Associate General Counsel of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (BNY) . He serves across the BNY Mellon fund complex as an officer of 47 investment companies (103 portfolios), underscoring a legal leadership remit primarily aligned with the Investment Adviser rather than fund-specific performance incentives . The Fund’s proxy does not disclose executive performance metrics (e.g., TSR, revenue/EBITDA growth) for officers; officers hold office for an indefinite term until successors are elected and qualified .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. | Chief Legal Officer | Jul 2021–Present | Leads legal for the Investment Adviser serving DHF and other funds . |
| The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation | Associate General Counsel | Jul 2021–Present | Senior corporate legal oversight supporting fund complex and adviser . |
| The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation | Senior Managing Counsel | Dec 2020–Jul 2021 | Elevated legal leadership during transition to CLO role . |
| The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation | Managing Counsel | Mar 2009–Dec 2020 | Long-tenure fund/adviser legal counsel across BNY’s investment platforms . |
External Roles
No external directorships or outside roles for Peter M. Sullivan are disclosed in DHF’s proxy .
Fixed Compensation
- Officer compensation (salary/bonus) is not disclosed by the Fund; the proxy details trustee/board compensation only and indicates the Fund has no bonus, pension, profit-sharing or retirement plan for trustees, not officers .
- Officers are presented as Fund officers serving indefinite terms; compensation arrangements are not described in DHF’s proxy .
Performance Compensation
- The proxy provides no disclosure of officer incentive metrics (e.g., revenue, EBITDA, TSR), targets, or payouts for Peter M. Sullivan .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Officers/Trustees group beneficial ownership | Less than 1% of DHF’s outstanding shares as of June 25, 2025 . |
| 5%+ beneficial owner context | First Trust Portfolios L.P., First Trust Advisors L.P., The Charger Corporation held 14,232,740 shares (19.57%) as of June 25, 2025 . |
| Individual officer holdings (Sullivan) | Not broken out; no per-officer disclosure in proxy . |
| Pledging/hedging | Not disclosed in proxy . |
| Ownership guidelines/compliance | Not disclosed for officers; trustee compensation is disclosed separately . |
Employment Terms
| Term | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Fund officer since | 2019 (Chief Legal Officer since Jul 2021) . |
| Title | Chief Legal Officer, Vice President, Assistant Secretary . |
| Age | 57 . |
| Term and renewal | Indefinite term; serves until successor elected and qualified . |
| Address | 240 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10286 (Fund officer address) . |
| Non-compete / non-solicit | Not disclosed . |
| Severance / change-of-control | Not disclosed . |
| Clawbacks / tax gross-ups | Not disclosed . |
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance assessment is not possible: DHF’s proxy provides no officer compensation, incentive metrics, vesting, or employment economics for Sullivan; governance disclosures focus on trustees and service providers .
- Alignment and trading signals appear limited at the Fund level: officers and trustees collectively own less than 1% of DHF shares, and Section 16(a) compliance was reported with no delinquent filings, reducing visibility into insider selling pressure tied to Fund shares .
- Role-driven retention view: Sullivan’s long-tenured BNY legal leadership and current CLO position at the Investment Adviser indicate primary incentives are at the adviser/corporate level rather than DHF-specific equity, leaving Fund-level alignment signals sparse in public disclosures .