James Kirchner
About James Kirchner
James F. Kirchner (born 1967) serves as Treasurer and the Principal Financial and Accounting Officer of Eaton Vance Floating-Rate Income Trust (EFT). He has held an officer role with the Fund since 2007 and is concurrently a Vice President of Eaton Vance Management and Boston Management and Research (BMR), and a Vice President of Calvert Research and Management since 2016 . As EFT’s Principal Financial Officer, he signs the Fund’s SOX 302 and 906 certifications and periodic filings, evidencing responsibility for disclosure controls and financial reporting (e.g., certifications dated January 24, 2025; N‑CEN signature dated August 12, 2025) . EFT’s proxy also notes that, due to their roles at Eaton Vance and ownership of Morgan Stanley stock, fund officers (including Mr. Kirchner) benefit from advisory/administration fees paid by the Fund to Eaton Vance .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eaton Vance Floating-Rate Income Trust (EFT) | Treasurer; Principal Financial and Accounting Officer | 2007–2025 | Principal Financial Officer for the Fund; signs SOX certifications (302/906) and periodic reports . |
| Eaton Vance Management (EVM) and Boston Management and Research (BMR) | Vice President | Not disclosed | Senior finance/administration roles across the Eaton Vance complex; officer capacity across numerous registered funds . |
| Calvert Research and Management (CRM) | Vice President | 2016–present | Leadership role within CRM parallel to Eaton Vance responsibilities; officer roles across CRM-advised/administered funds . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eaton Vance fund complex | Officer of registered investment companies | 2022–2025 | Scale and breadth: officer to 138 (2022), 132 (2023), 127 (2024), and 123 (2025) registered investment companies, underscoring extensive oversight responsibilities across the complex . |
Scope across fund complex (counts):
| Metric | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Officered registered investment companies (count) | 138 | 132 | 127 | 123 |
Fixed Compensation
- EFT’s proxy statements disclose compensation only for noninterested Trustees (retainers/committee fees) and list the Fund’s officers and their affiliations; officer cash compensation is not provided at the fund level .
- Officers are employees of Eaton Vance/BMR (and CRM) and, due to their roles and ownership of Morgan Stanley stock, benefit from advisory/administration fees paid by the Fund to Eaton Vance; base salary/bonus details for Mr. Kirchner are not disclosed in EFT’s proxy .
Performance Compensation
- EFT’s proxy does not disclose performance-based incentive metrics or payouts for Fund officers (e.g., revenue growth/EBITDA/TSR/ESG goals) at the fund level; the document focuses on Trustee remuneration while listing officers and their roles/affiliations .
- No vesting schedules, RSU/PSU grants, or option awards for Mr. Kirchner are presented in EFT’s proxy filings .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- The proxy provides beneficial ownership tables for Trustees (not officers). As of December 30, 2024, the “Share Ownership by Trustee” table lists Trustees’ holdings (e.g., Mr. Quinton >$100,000 in EFT) but does not include officer ownership, so Mr. Kirchner’s individual holdings in EFT are not disclosed . Comparable trustee-only ownership disclosures also appear in prior proxies .
- Section 16(a) compliance disclosure states all Trustees and officers complied with required ownership filings for the most recent fiscal year, indicating timely reporting but without quantifying officer holdings .
- Officers’ alignment is indirectly noted via their affiliation with Eaton Vance and ownership of Morgan Stanley stock, aligning them with the adviser’s fee economics rather than fund-level stock ownership requirements; no pledging/hedging disclosures for officers are provided in the proxy .
Employment Terms
- Officers of the Fund “hold indefinite terms of office”; EFT’s proxy does not disclose individual employment agreements, severance, change‑of‑control, or non‑compete terms for Fund officers .
- Mr. Kirchner serves as a signatory on SOX 302/906 certifications for N‑CSR (dated January 24, 2025), and as Treasurer signs N‑CEN (dated August 12, 2025), reflecting accountability for financial reporting and controls .
- Mr. Kirchner is also designated in the fund complex Power of Attorney, evidencing authority to execute registration statements and amendments (dated August 6, 2024) .
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance visibility at the officer level is limited: the fund’s proxy discloses trustee compensation but not officer salary/bonus/equity metrics or vesting, constraining assessments of direct incentive alignment for Mr. Kirchner at the fund level .
- Governance and control signals are solid: recurring SOX 302/906 certifications (Jan 24, 2025) and N‑CEN signature (Aug 12, 2025) indicate active oversight of disclosure controls and financial reporting; no Section 16(a) delinquencies for officers were noted in the most recent proxy .
- Trading/insider‑pressure signals are not discernible from EFT’s proxy: officer‑level ownership, vesting calendars, and sale programs are not disclosed at the fund level; monitoring future Section 16 filings and any Item 5.02 8‑Ks would be prudent for real‑time insight .
- Alignment is primarily through adviser affiliation and Morgan Stanley equity rather than fund‑level equity stakes; portfolio managers’ and trustees’ governance/fund policy decisions (e.g., control share provisions, board structure) may be more material to trading signals in closed‑end funds than administrative officer compensation .