Francis J. Smith
Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer at Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Domestic Debt Fund
Executive
About Francis J. Smith
Francis J. Smith serves as Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer of Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Domestic Debt Fund, Inc. (EDD). He has been Principal Financial Officer since September 2002 and Treasurer since July 2003, and is a Managing Director of the Adviser (Morgan Stanley Investment Management) and affiliated entities; birth year 1965 . The proxy does not disclose individual officer compensation, performance metrics, or fund officer equity awards; it reports officer roles and tenure only .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Domestic Debt Fund, Inc. (EDD) | Principal Financial Officer | Since September 2002 | Officer role disclosed in proxy |
| Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Domestic Debt Fund, Inc. (EDD) | Treasurer | Since July 2003 | Officer role disclosed in proxy |
| Morgan Stanley Investment Management (Adviser) and affiliates | Managing Director | Not disclosed | Listed as current occupation; no start year provided |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan Stanley Investment Management (Adviser) | Managing Director | Not disclosed | Listed as current occupation; no start year provided |
Fixed Compensation
| Item | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | Not disclosed | The proxy provides compensation detail for Directors; officer compensation is not reported |
| Target/actual annual bonus | Not disclosed | No officer bonus disclosure in proxy |
| Perquisites | Not disclosed | No officer perquisite disclosure in proxy |
| Pension/SERP/Deferred comp | Not disclosed for officers | Deferred compensation discussed only for Independent Directors, not officers |
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | — | — | — | — | — | No officer performance plan details disclosed in the proxy |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| EDD shares outstanding (Record Date: Apr 9, 2025) | 64,456,047 shares |
| Officers and Directors aggregate ownership | Less than 1% of outstanding shares as of Apr 11, 2025 |
| Individual officer beneficial ownership | Not disclosed for Francis J. Smith in proxy |
| Shares pledged/hedged | Not disclosed in proxy |
Employment Terms
| Position | Start Date | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Principal Financial Officer | September 2002 | Indefinite; serves until successor appointed | Officer service terms are indefinite per proxy footnote |
| Treasurer | July 2003 | Indefinite; serves until successor appointed | Officer service terms are indefinite per proxy footnote |
- Section 16 compliance: The Funds state that, based on their review, all officers and directors complied with Section 16(a) filing requirements in the past fiscal year .
Investment Implications
- Alignment visibility is limited: The proxy reports officer roles and tenure but does not disclose officer pay mix, performance metrics, or equity awards; officers and directors as a group own less than 1% of shares, suggesting limited disclosed direct equity alignment at the fund level .
- Retention signal from tenure/term: Smith’s 20+ years in the PFO/Treasurer roles and the indefinite officer term structure point to continuity and low immediate retention risk absent other disclosures .
- Trading/pressure signals: The proxy provides no officer-level holdings, vesting schedules, pledging, or Form 4 activity; Section 16 compliance shows no reported filing lapses, but there is insufficient disclosure to infer insider selling pressure or upcoming vesting overhangs .
- Governance context: Compensation disclosure is focused on Independent Directors (e.g., annual retainers and committee chair fees), underscoring that fund officers are not the subject of “say-on-pay” or detailed incentive disclosures typical at operating companies; this constrains pay-for-performance assessment at the officer level .