Jeffrey W. White
Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer at TEMPLETON EMERGING MARKETS FUND
Executive
About Jeffrey W. White
Jeffrey W. White (born 1971) is Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer, and Treasurer of Templeton Emerging Markets Fund (NYSE: EMF), appointed in 2024. He is an officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex and previously served as Director and Assistant Treasurer within Franklin Templeton Global Fund Tax and Fund Administration & Financial Reporting (2017–2023) . EMF’s proxy does not disclose officer-level pay metrics, TSR, or operating KPIs tied to officer compensation; officers are employed and compensated by Franklin Templeton affiliates, not by the Fund .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Templeton Global Fund Tax and Fund Administration & Financial Reporting | Director and Assistant Treasurer | 2017–2023 | Fund administration, tax, and financial reporting responsibilities within the complex |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed in EMF proxy | — | — | No external public company directorships/officer roles disclosed for White |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Detail | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Employer | Franklin Templeton affiliates (not EMF) | The Investment Manager or its affiliates pay the salaries and expenses of the officers; they are not compensated by the Fund |
| Base Salary | Not disclosed by EMF | Officer compensation not reported at the Fund level |
| Pension/Retirement accrued by Fund | None | “No pension or retirement benefits are accrued as part of Fund expenses” |
Performance Compensation
| Element | Metric(s) | Target/Weighting | Actual/Payout | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual/Long-term incentives | Not disclosed at Fund level | — | — | — | Officers are paid by Franklin Templeton affiliates; EMF proxy provides no officer comp metrics, performance targets, or vesting details |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Data point | Amount/Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership – White | Not disclosed | EMF proxy lists dollar ranges for Trustees, but does not provide officer-by-officer holdings; Trustees and officers as a group own <1% of shares outstanding |
| Shares outstanding (as of 12/16/2024) | 15,172,860 | Share base for ownership context |
| >5% holders | City of London Investment Group: 3,919,048 shares (25.7%); 1607 Capital Partners: 1,040,993 shares (6.84%); Allspring Global Investments: 1,023,890 shares (6.72%) | As reported on recent 13F filings noted in proxy |
| Shares pledged (White) | Not disclosed | No pledging disclosure for officers in proxy |
| Ownership guidelines | Trustee policy only | Independent Trustees must invest one-third of board fees until holdings equal/exceed 3x retainer; all current Trustees are compliant. No officer guideline disclosed |
Employment Terms
| Term | Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Appointment | CFO, CAO & Treasurer since 2024 | Listed among Executive Officers |
| Service conditions | Officers serve at the pleasure of the Board | Governance detail in proxy |
| Employment agreement | Not disclosed | No employment contract terms in proxy; no Item 5.02 8-Ks located in 2020–2025 search for EMF (searched for officer appointment/departure filings) |
| Severance / Change-in-control | Not disclosed | No severance/CoC terms disclosed in proxy |
| Clawbacks/Tax gross-ups | Not disclosed | Not covered in Fund proxy |
Performance & Track Record
| Category | Disclosure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tenure milestones | Appointed 2024 | Executive Officer table |
| Fund/Stock performance during tenure | Not provided in proxy | EMF proxy contains no TSR/return disclosures tied to officer pay |
| Achievements/controversies | Not disclosed | No officer-specific achievements or controversies disclosed |
Board Governance (Context)
- Officers are not compensated by the Fund; compensation is paid by Franklin Templeton affiliates .
- Trustees’ equity holdings are shown by dollar range; Trustees and officers as a group own <1% of EMF shares .
- Independent Trustee compensation and meeting structure described; not applicable to officer pay alignment analysis .
Compensation Structure Analysis
- Shift in cash vs equity mix: Not disclosed for officers at Fund level .
- Performance metrics and targets: None disclosed for officers; no Fund-level incentive plan disclosures .
- Repricing/modification of equity awards: Not disclosed .
- Discretionary bonuses: Not disclosed .
Related Party Transactions
- None disclosed for White in the EMF 2025 proxy .
Say-on-Pay & Shareholder Feedback
- No say-on-pay votes are presented; closed-end fund proxy focuses on Trustee elections and auditor ratification .
Expertise & Qualifications
| Attribute | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Core finance roles | CFO, CAO & Treasurer; fund complex officer | |
| Fund administration background | Director & Assistant Treasurer in global fund tax and administration/financial reporting | |
| Education | Not disclosed in proxy | — |
| Year of birth | 1971 |
Work History & Career Trajectory
| Organization | Role | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin Templeton (fund complex) | CFO, CAO & Treasurer; officer of certain funds | Since 2024 |
| Franklin Templeton Global Fund Tax & Fund Administration & Financial Reporting | Director & Assistant Treasurer | 2017–2023 |
Compensation Committee Analysis
- EMF proxy details Nominating and Audit Committees; no compensation committee overseeing officer pay at Fund level given officers are paid by Franklin Templeton affiliates .
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance linkage at the Fund level is weak/opaque for officers: compensation is paid by Franklin Templeton affiliates and not disclosed in EMF proxy, limiting analysis of incentive alignment, vesting calendars, or potential selling pressure from vesting events .
- Direct ownership alignment for officers appears limited at the Fund level: trustees and officers as a group own <1% of shares; principal holders are institutional fund investors, not management, reducing insider ownership signaling value .
- Retention risk and change-in-control economics cannot be assessed from Fund disclosures: officers serve at the pleasure of the Board, with no employment agreements or severance/CoC terms disclosed, suggesting reliance on Franklin Templeton enterprise employment frameworks rather than fund-specific agreements .
- Trading signals from insider activity are not available in the proxy; no Item 5.02 8-Ks found in 2020–2025 for appointment/comp changes. Consider monitoring Form 4s for “EMF” officers and Franklin Templeton’s corporate disclosures for any enterprise-level comp changes that might indirectly affect officer incentives at EMF (searched; no 8-K 5.02 filings found in period).