Peyton Muldoon
About Peyton T. Muldoon
Peyton Tansill Muldoon (age 56) is an Independent Director of Sprott Focus Trust, Inc. (ticker: FUND), serving since 2015 with her current Class II term expiring at the 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders; she oversees 13 portfolios in the fund complex and lists no other public company directorships . Her background includes service as a Licensed Salesperson at Sotheby’s International Realty since 2011 and prior experience in financial services across marketing/client relationship management, portfolio management, and securities research/valuation, which the Board cites as her core qualifications .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sotheby’s International Realty | Licensed Salesperson | Since 2011 | Board cites FS-sector experience in marketing/client management, portfolio management, and research/valuation as qualifications |
External Roles
| Category | Role/Company | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Other public company boards | N/A | None listed |
Board Governance
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Board class and term | Class II; term expires at 2026 Annual Meeting |
| Years of service | Director since 2015 |
| Independence | Independent Director |
| Committees | Audit Committee (member); Governance Committee (member) |
| Committee chairs | None (Audit Committee Chair: Michael W. Clark; Governance Committee Chair: James R. Pierce, Jr.) |
| Audit Committee Financial Expert | Not designated; Mr. Clark designated as ACF Expert |
| Meetings/attendance (2024) | Board: 4; Audit: 2; Governance: 1; each Director attended at least 75% of applicable meetings |
| Annual stockholder meeting attendance (2024) | None of the Directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting |
| Portfolios overseen | 13 |
| Board leadership | 80% Independent Directors; no lead independent director; Mr. W. Whitney George (interested person) acts as chairman at Board meetings |
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Cash Retainer (Director Services) | Meeting Fees | Committee Chair Fees | Other Remuneration | Pension/SERP Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $5,086.25 | None disclosed (no additional remuneration beyond retainer) | None disclosed | None; “No Director received remuneration… in addition to or in lieu of this compensation.” | None |
Performance Compensation
| Element | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Equity awards (RSUs/PSUs/DSUs) | None disclosed for directors; compensation limited to cash retainer |
| Option awards | None disclosed for directors |
| Performance metrics tied to director pay | None disclosed (no performance-based director compensation) |
| Clawback/vesting provisions | Not disclosed in the 2025 DEF 14A; only cash director fees are described |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Other public company directorships | None listed (N/A in proxy biographical table) |
| Interlocks (competitors/suppliers/customers) | Not disclosed in proxy; no interlocks identified for Muldoon |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Licensed Salesperson at Sotheby’s International Realty since 2011; board-cited qualifications include financial services experience in marketing/client relationship management, equity/fixed-income portfolio management, and securities research/valuation .
- Active roles on Audit and Governance Committees reinforce oversight exposure; not designated as Audit Committee Financial Expert (designation held by Michael W. Clark) .
Equity Ownership
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in FUND | None |
| Aggregate Dollar Range in Sprott family of funds | None |
| Common shares beneficially owned (FUND) | 2,901 |
| Ownership as % of outstanding shares | <1% |
| Holdings of Sprott Inc. or affiliates securities (by Independent Directors or their immediate family) | None (other than registered investment companies) |
Governance Assessment
- Independence and tenure: Independent Director since 2015 with committee roles on Audit and Governance; structure features 80% independent directors but no lead independent director while an interested person chairs Board meetings, a governance structure some investors may scrutinize .
- Attendance and engagement: Each director attended at least 75% of Board/committee meetings in 2024, meeting baseline expectations; however, none of the Directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which can be viewed as an engagement gap with shareholders .
- Alignment and incentives: Director pay is minimal and flat (cash-only), which reduces pay-related conflicts but conveys limited ownership alignment—Muldoon reports an aggregate “None” dollar range in the Fund alongside 2,901 shares (<1%), suggesting a small absolute stake .
- Conflicts/related-party exposure: No related-party transactions involving Muldoon are disclosed; furthermore, independent directors and their immediate family members held no securities of the adviser or its affiliates (other than registered investment companies), supporting independence from the adviser .
- Compliance signals: The fund reports full Section 16(a) reporting compliance by officers, Directors, and other covered persons for the most recent fiscal year, a positive governance indicator .
- Ownership concentration context: W. Whitney George beneficially owns approximately 52.86% of the Fund’s outstanding shares, which can centralize voting influence and shape governance dynamics; independent directors’ oversight remains important under this structure .
RED FLAGS
- No director attendance at the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (shareholder engagement concern) .
- Board lacks a designated lead independent director while an interested person acts as chairman at meetings (oversight optics) .
Positive Signals
- Independent status with committee participation and baseline meeting attendance threshold met (≥75%) .
- No adviser/affiliate securities held by independent directors or their immediate family (mitigates adviser-related conflicts) .
Citations