Kristi Maher
About Kristi Maher
Kristi A. Maher (year of birth: 1966) serves as Chief Compliance Officer and Assistant Secretary of FCT with an indefinite term; she has been Chief Compliance Officer since January 1, 2011 and Assistant Secretary since 2004. Her principal occupation is International General Counsel at First Trust Advisors L.P. and First Trust Portfolios L.P. since February 2025, following service as Deputy General Counsel; executive officers of the Funds receive no compensation from the Funds in these capacities, and performance-linked pay metrics are not disclosed at the fund level . The funds report Section 16/30(h) compliance was met in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025/2024, and Maher is named among attorneys-in-fact on Section 16 Power of Attorney instruments for filings by First Trust insiders, underscoring her compliance and legal authority within the complex .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Trust Advisors L.P.; First Trust Portfolios L.P. | Deputy General Counsel | Prior to Feb 2025 | Senior legal leadership supporting fund governance and compliance across the First Trust Fund Complex |
| FCT (First Trust Senior Floating Rate Income Fund II) | Assistant Secretary | Since 2004 | Ongoing oversight of fund administration and governance processes |
| FCT (First Trust Senior Floating Rate Income Fund II) | Chief Compliance Officer | Since Jan 1, 2011 | Establishes and enforces compliance framework across funds within the First Trust complex |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Trust Advisors L.P.; First Trust Portfolios L.P. | International General Counsel | Since Feb 2025 | Leads international legal strategy and compliance across adviser/affiliate entities that serve 312 portfolios in the First Trust Fund Complex |
Fixed Compensation
Executive officers of the Funds, including the Chief Compliance Officer and Assistant Secretary, receive no compensation from the Funds for serving in such capacities; compensation, if any, is at the adviser level (First Trust Advisors L.P.) and not disclosed in FCT filings .
| Component | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | Not disclosed by FCT | Executive officers receive no compensation from the Funds |
| Target bonus % | Not disclosed by FCT | Adviser-level only (not filed by the Funds) |
| Actual bonus paid | Not disclosed by FCT | Adviser-level only (not filed by the Funds) |
| Perquisites | Not disclosed by FCT | No fund disclosure for executive officers |
Performance Compensation
No fund-level disclosure exists for executive officer incentive structures (RSUs/PSUs/options) or performance metric weightings/payouts for Maher. The Funds explicitly state that executive officers receive no compensation from the Funds, and no performance metrics tied to executive pay are disclosed in FCT proxy materials .
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not disclosed by FCT | — | — | — | — | — |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
FCT proxies disclose aggregate beneficial ownership by Trustees, Nominees, and executive officers as a group, but do not provide individual executive officer holdings. As of December 31, 2024, the group beneficial ownership in FCT was 1,166 shares (<1% of outstanding), with individual breakdowns limited to Trustees in the table; no pledged shares, options, or executive-specific ownership guideline compliance details are disclosed for Maher .
| Item | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (Maher) | Not individually disclosed; group total 1,166 shares for Trustees/Nominees/executive officers, <1% of FCT |
| Vested vs unvested shares | Not disclosed |
| Options (exercisable/unexercisable) | Not disclosed |
| Shares pledged as collateral | Not disclosed |
| Stock ownership guidelines (execs) | Not disclosed for executive officers; independent trustee ownership expectations are published (trustees only) |
Employment Terms
| Term | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Office terms | Indefinite; executive officers have indefinite terms |
| Role tenure (CCO) | Elected December 2010; effective January 1, 2011 |
| Role tenure (Assistant Secretary) | Since 2004 |
| Principal occupation | International General Counsel since February 2025; previously Deputy General Counsel |
| Severance/Change-of-control | Not disclosed at fund level |
| Clawback provisions | Not disclosed at fund level |
| Non-compete/Non-solicit | Not disclosed at fund level |
| Section 16/30(h) reporting | Funds report compliance met for relevant periods |
| Attorney-in-fact authority | Named as attorney-in-fact on Section 16 POAs used for Form 3/4/5 filings for certain insiders |
Investment Implications
- Alignment and transparency: Fund-level disclosures indicate no compensation is paid to executive officers by the Funds, and adviser-level pay details (including performance metrics, equity grants, vesting) are not publicly disclosed in FCT filings. This limits pay-for-performance analysis and visibility into insider incentive alignment for Maher specifically .
- Ownership signal: Individual executive officer ownership is not reported; only group totals are disclosed, and the group’s holdings are <1%, reducing the ability to infer personal alignment or selling pressure for Maher. No pledging or hedging disclosures exist for executive officers in FCT materials .
- Role-based retention: Maher’s long tenure as CCO (since 2011), continued Assistant Secretary role (since 2004), and elevation to International General Counsel in February 2025 point to institutional continuity and centrality in governance/compliance; however, absence of contract terms (severance/change-of-control) in fund filings prevents quantitative retention-risk modeling from FCT documents alone .
- Trading signals: With no executive-specific compensation or ownership details and fund-level statement of compliance with Section 16/30(h), there are no identifiable near-term insider selling pressure indicators tied to Maher within FCT filings; investors should not expect fund proxies to reveal adviser-level equity award activity for executives .