Keith Quinton
About Keith Quinton
Keith Quinton (born 1958) is a noninterested Trustee of Eaton Vance Floating-Rate Income Trust (EFT), serving since 2018; he is currently a Class II Trustee with a term expiring in 2027 and chairs the Closed-End Fund Committee . He brings three decades of investment-industry experience, including senior quantitative and portfolio management roles across leading asset managers and service to public-sector investment bodies .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fidelity Investments | Portfolio Manager and Senior Quantitative Analyst | 2001–2014 | Led quantitative equity research/portfolio management |
| MFS Investment Management | Vice President and Quantitative Analyst | 2000–2001 | Quantitative research |
| Santander Global Advisors | Senior Quantitative Analyst | 1997–2000 | Quantitative analytics |
| Putnam Investments | Senior Vice President, Quantitative Equity Research | 1995–1997 | Quantitative equity research leadership |
| Eberstadt Fleming; Falconwood Securities Corporation; Drexel Burnham Lambert | Senior Quantitative Analyst and other investment roles | Began in 1983 | Early career quantitative roles; started as senior quantitative analyst in 1983 |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire Retirement System | Independent Investment Committee Member | 2017–2021 | Oversaw investments aligned with board-approved policy and asset allocation |
| New Hampshire Municipal Bond Bank | Director; Chairman | Director 2016–2021; Chairman 2019–2021 | Public finance oversight and leadership |
| Northfield Information Services, Inc. | Advisory Committee Member | Since 2016 | Risk analytics advisory (industry role) |
Board Governance
- Independence: Quinton is a “noninterested Trustee” under the 1940 Act, with the Board’s committees comprised solely of noninterested Trustees .
- Committee assignments and chair roles (latest proxy):
- Closed-End Fund Committee: Chairperson .
- Compliance Reports and Regulatory Matters Committee: Member .
- Governance Committee: Member .
- Contract Review Committee: Member .
- Not listed on the Portfolio Management Committee or Audit Committee in the latest proxy .
- Attendance: In fiscal year ended May 31, 2023, the Board met 10 times (Audit 10; Contract Review 12; Governance 5; Portfolio Management 8; Compliance 9; Ad Hoc Closed-End 2); each Trustee attended at least 75% of meetings, though none attended the 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders .
- Board structure and qualifications: Independent Chair (George J. Gorman) and defined qualifications/selection considerations emphasizing ethics, experience, independence, and attendance commitment .
Fixed Compensation
Compensation schedule (Trustee fee structure)
| Component | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Retainer | $280,000 | $279,000 | $295,000 | $305,000 | $315,000 | $325,000 |
| Additional Retainer – Chair of noninterested Trustees | $135,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 |
| Additional Retainer – Committee Service | $60,000 | $72,500 | $77,500 | $82,500 | $82,500 | $82,500 |
| Additional Retainer – 4+ Committees | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Additional Retainer – Committee Chair | $35,000 | $35,000 | $35,000 | $35,000 | $35,000 | $35,000 |
| Ad Hoc Committee Chair (per six-month period) | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| Out-of-Pocket Expenses | Reimbursed | Reimbursed | Reimbursed | Reimbursed | Reimbursed | Reimbursed |
Quinton’s reported compensation
| Calendar Year | Total Compensation from EFT Fund | Total Compensation from Eaton Vance Fund Complex |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $4,391 | $333,750 |
| 2020 | $4,127 | $338,306 |
| 2021 | $4,034 | $348,179 |
| 2022 | $3,438 | $391,051 |
| 2023 | $3,727 | $407,500 |
| 2024 | $3,510 | $420,000 |
Notes:
- Deferred compensation amounts were disclosed for certain Trustees but not for Quinton in the cited years .
Performance Compensation
| Metric Type | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue/EBITDA growth targets | Not applicable for Trustees; no performance-based pay disclosed | Not applicable; no performance-based pay disclosed | Not applicable; no performance-based pay disclosed | Not applicable; no performance-based pay disclosed | Not applicable; no performance-based pay disclosed | Not applicable; no performance-based pay disclosed |
| TSR percentile hurdles | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| ESG/operational metrics | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Stock/Option awards (RSUs/PSUs/options) | None disclosed in Trustee compensation program | None disclosed | None disclosed | None disclosed | None disclosed | None disclosed |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Committee Positions | Interlocks/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire Municipal Bond Bank | Director; Chairman | Board Chair (2019–2021) | State-level public finance; no disclosed EFT-related transactions |
| New Hampshire Retirement System | Independent Investment Committee Member | Investment oversight | Public pension oversight; no disclosed EFT-related transactions |
| Northfield Information Services, Inc. | Advisory Committee Member | Advisory | Industry analytics; no disclosed EFT-related transactions |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep quantitative finance and portfolio management background across leading asset managers; senior roles at Fidelity, MFS, Santander, and Putnam .
- Governance and oversight experience via public-sector investment bodies and leadership at the New Hampshire Municipal Bond Bank .
- Closed-end fund domain expertise; current Chairperson of the Closed-End Fund Committee .
Equity Ownership
| As-of Date | Dollar Range Beneficially Owned in EFT | Aggregate Dollar Range in Eaton Vance Family of Funds |
|---|---|---|
| January 2, 2024 | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 |
| December 30, 2024 | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 |
Additional context:
- As of December 30, 2024, Trustees and executive officers of the Fund, individually and as a group, owned beneficially less than 1% of outstanding Common Shares and/or VRTPS .
- No disclosures of share pledging, hedging, or related-party transactions involving Quinton .
Governance Assessment
-
Strengths:
- Independent status with multi-committee engagement, including chairing the Closed-End Fund Committee—directly relevant to EFT structure and shareholder issues .
- Documented attendance meeting the 75% threshold; active committee cycle indicates substantive engagement .
- Significant personal ownership (over $100,000) in EFT aligns interests with shareholders and is unique among Trustees per 2024 and 2025 proxies .
- Oversight roles on Compliance and Contract Review committees support robust conflict management with service providers .
-
Watch items / RED FLAGS to monitor:
- Persistent non-attendance at Annual Meetings across Trustees in multiple years (e.g., none attended in 2023), which may be viewed as a stakeholder engagement gap, albeit common in fund complexes .
- Compensation is entirely fixed retainers and committee fees; absence of equity-based or performance-linked components for Trustees means alignment is via personal share ownership rather than incentive design .
- No explicit ownership guidelines, pledging/hedging policies, or say-on-pay mechanisms disclosed for Trustees in the fund context; continue to monitor for any related-party transactions or governance exceptions .