Christopher Kings
About Christopher Kings
Christopher Kings (born 1974) serves as Chief Executive Officer—Finance and Administration for Templeton Emerging Markets Fund (EMF), a role he has held since 2024; his principal occupation is Senior Vice President at Franklin Templeton Services, LLC and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex . He previously served as EMF’s Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer, and Treasurer beginning in 2022, with prior responsibilities in U.S. fund administration and reporting across Franklin Templeton . Education, TSR, and operating performance metrics (e.g., revenue/EBITDA growth) are not disclosed in EMF proxy materials, and EMF officers’ compensation is set and paid by Franklin Templeton’s affiliate rather than the Fund, limiting pay-for-performance transparency at the EMF entity level .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Templeton Emerging Markets Fund (EMF) | Chief Executive Officer—Finance & Administration | Since 2024 (appointed January 2024) | Oversees finance and administration; responsible for communications to the Audit Committee regarding significant deficiencies, material weaknesses in internal controls, and fraud matters . |
| Templeton Emerging Markets Fund (EMF) | Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer & Treasurer | Since 2022 (role transitioned to CEO—F&A in Jan 2024) | Led financial reporting and control environment; subject to Audit Committee oversight of CFO/CAO communications on internal control integrity and fraud risks . |
| Franklin Templeton (FT Services / U.S. Fund Administration & Reporting) | Treasurer, U.S. Fund Administration & Reporting | Not disclosed | Fund administration and reporting responsibilities within Franklin Templeton’s fund complex . |
| Franklin Templeton Services, LLC | Senior Vice President | Past 5 years (current) | Senior administrative leadership; officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Templeton Services, LLC | Senior Vice President | Past 5 years (current) | EMF’s administrator; FT Services is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. . |
| Franklin Templeton fund complex | Officer of certain funds | Current | Cross-fund officer responsibilities within Franklin Templeton fund complex . |
Fixed Compensation
- Officers (including CEO—Finance & Administration and CFO/CAO/Treasurer) are not compensated by EMF; salaries and expenses are paid by the Investment Manager or its affiliates (Franklin Templeton), with no pension or retirement benefits accrued as Fund expenses .
- Base salary, target bonus percentage, actual bonus paid, equity awards, and option grants for Kings are not disclosed in EMF proxy statements .
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not disclosed in EMF proxies for executive officers | — | — | — | — | — |
| Notes: EMF proxies do not provide executive officer incentive plan structures or performance metric linkages (e.g., TSR, revenue/EBITDA targets) for Kings . |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | FY 2022 (Record: 2022-12-12) | FY 2023 (Record: 2023-12-11) | FY 2024 (Record: 2024-12-16) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trustees and officers (group) beneficial ownership as % of shares outstanding | <1% | <1% | <1% |
| Christopher Kings beneficial ownership | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Pledging or hedging of EMF stock | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Stock ownership guidelines (officers) | Not disclosed; Board policy applies to Trustees (not officers) | Not disclosed; Board policy applies to Trustees (not officers) | Not disclosed; Board policy applies to Trustees (not officers) |
Employment Terms
| Provision | Detail |
|---|---|
| Employment role start | CEO—Finance & Administration since January 2024; previously CFO/CAO/Treasurer since 2022 . |
| Contract term, auto-renewal | Not disclosed in EMF proxy statements . |
| Severance & change-of-control (multiples, triggers, vesting acceleration) | Not disclosed in EMF proxy statements . |
| Non-compete, non-solicit, garden leave, consulting | Not disclosed in EMF proxy statements . |
| Clawbacks, tax gross-ups | Not disclosed in EMF proxy statements . |
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance visibility at EMF is limited: officer compensation is set and paid by Franklin Templeton affiliates, and EMF proxies do not disclose Kings’s salary, bonus, or incentive performance metrics; this reduces the ability to assess direct alignment with EMF shareholder outcomes .
- Role progression from CFO/CAO/Treasurer (since 2022) to CEO—Finance & Administration (January 2024) indicates internal continuity and institutional knowledge—positive for operational execution and control environment under Audit Committee oversight .
- Direct equity alignment at the Fund level appears modest: trustees and officers as a group own less than 1% of EMF outstanding shares at each reviewed record date, and individual officer holdings (including Kings) are not disclosed, limiting alignment signals and making insider selling pressure analysis infeasible from proxies alone .
- Governance and controls: the Audit Committee Charter requires communications from CEO—Finance & Administration and CFO/CAO on significant deficiencies and fraud, suggesting robust oversight; absence of disclosed pledging/hedging or compensation red flags in proxies reduces immediate governance risk indicators but reflects low disclosure granularity on officer-specific incentives .