Christopher Baker
About Christopher Baker
Christopher Baker serves as Chief Compliance Officer of Allspring Income Opportunities Fund (EAD) and has held this officer role since 2022. He is also Global Chief Compliance Officer for Allspring Global Investments, bringing prior senior compliance leadership experience from State Street Global Advisors; year of birth is 1976, with service at Allspring in the CCO capacity since 2022 . The Fund’s proxies do not disclose individual executive performance metrics (e.g., TSR or financial KPI linkages) for officers; compensation for officers is paid by the adviser, not the Fund .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allspring Global Investments | Global Chief Compliance Officer | Since 2022 | Not disclosed |
| Allspring Income Opportunities Fund (EAD) | Chief Compliance Officer | Since 2022 | Not disclosed |
| State Street Global Advisors | Chief Compliance Officer | 2018–2021 | Not disclosed |
| State Street (AIS, Sector Solutions, Global Marketing divisions) | Senior Compliance Officer | 2015–2018 | Not disclosed |
| State Street Global Advisors | Vice President, Global Head of Investment and Marketing Compliance | 2010–2015 | Not disclosed |
External Roles
- No additional public company directorships or external committee roles are disclosed for Mr. Baker in the Fund’s proxy statements .
Fixed Compensation
The Fund states officer compensation is paid by the adviser (Allspring Funds Management or affiliates), and the Fund’s principal executive officers received no compensation or expense reimbursement from the Fund in FY 2025 and FY 2024.
| Fiscal Year | Compensation Paid by Fund ($) | Compensation Source Noted |
|---|---|---|
| FY 2025 | $0 | Officer pay borne by Allspring Funds Management/affiliates |
| FY 2024 | $0 | Officer pay borne by Allspring Funds Management/affiliates |
Fees, salaries or other remuneration of officers of the Fund who also serve as officers or employees of Allspring Funds Management or any of its affiliated companies are borne by Allspring Funds Management or the Allspring Global Investments Holdings, LLC affiliate for whom the individual serves .
Performance Compensation
- The Fund does not disclose Mr. Baker’s bonus targets, payout metrics (revenue/EBITDA/TSR/ESG), stock or option grants, or vesting schedules; these are set and paid by the adviser rather than the Fund .
- No clawback terms, ownership guidelines for officers, or tax gross-up provisions are disclosed in the Fund’s proxy statements for officers .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Shares Outstanding (as of record date) | 59,092,336 (as of June 10, 2025) |
| Officer/Trustee Group Ownership | Officers and Trustees as a group owned in the aggregate less than 1% of Fund shares (as of June 10, 2025) |
| Individual Officer Holdings | Not individually disclosed in the proxy; Section 16 reports available at Allspring’s website |
| Pledging/Hedging | No pledging or hedging disclosures specific to officers in the proxy |
Forms 3, 4, and 5 for officers and Trustees of the Fund may be accessed at www.allspringglobal.com .
Employment Terms
- Role start and tenure: Chief Compliance Officer of the Fund since 2022; concurrently Global Chief Compliance Officer for Allspring Global Investments since 2022 .
- Employment agreement terms (severance multiples, change-in-control triggers, non-compete/non-solicit, garden leave, consulting): Not disclosed by the Fund; officers are employees of Allspring/affiliates, and their compensation/terms are not paid or detailed by the Fund .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: With officer compensation paid by the adviser and no Fund-paid compensation, direct pay-for-performance alignment at the Fund level is limited; no disclosure of bonus metrics or equity awards for Mr. Baker reduces transparency into incentive levers .
- Ownership signal: Aggregate officer/trustee ownership of less than 1% suggests minimal direct economic alignment of officers with Fund shareholders; no individual officer holdings disclosed in the proxy, though Section 16 forms can be monitored for changes .
- Retention risk: Employment and severance/change-in-control economics are not disclosed at the Fund level; retention and incentives for Mr. Baker depend on Allspring corporate policies, which are outside the Fund’s proxy scope .
- Trading/pressure indicators: No vesting schedules or equity grant calendars are disclosed by the Fund for officers, limiting visibility into potential insider-selling pressure; monitoring Forms 3/4/5 on Allspring’s site/EDGAR is advisable for any transaction patterns .
- Execution/track record: Mr. Baker’s background reflects long-tenured compliance leadership at large asset managers (Allspring and State Street/SSGA), indicating deep regulatory oversight experience; no performance controversies or legal proceedings are noted in the Fund’s proxy .