Peter Goldstein
About Peter Goldstein
Peter Goldstein (born 1953) serves as Secretary and Vice President of The GDL Fund; he has held these officer roles since 2020. He is General Counsel of GAMCO Investors, Inc. and Chief Legal Officer of Associated Capital Group, Inc. (since 2021), and previously served as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Buckingham Capital Management, Inc. and The Buckingham Research Group, Inc. (2012–2020) . Fund documents do not disclose performance metrics (e.g., TSR, revenue growth, EBITDA growth) tied to his role or compensation; officers typically are compensated by the adviser rather than the Fund .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buckingham Capital Management, Inc. | General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer | 2012–2020 | Led legal and compliance functions for the investment firm, supporting governance and regulatory adherence |
| The Buckingham Research Group, Inc. | Chief Legal Officer & Chief Compliance Officer | 2012–2020 | Oversaw legal/compliance at the research affiliate, reinforcing controls across research operations |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| GAMCO Investors, Inc. | General Counsel | Since 2021 | Based at One Corporate Center, Rye, NY; provides legal oversight across GAMCO entities |
| Associated Capital Group, Inc. | Chief Legal Officer | Since 2021 | Legal leadership for alternative asset manager affiliate |
Fixed Compensation
- The Fund discloses compensation for Trustees and any officers who are compensated by the Fund rather than the Adviser; in 2024, only Vice President/Ombudsman Laurissa M. Martire received officer compensation from the Fund ($116,778). Peter Goldstein is listed as an officer but not as compensated by the Fund, indicating his compensation is paid by the Adviser and not disclosed in the Fund’s proxy . In 2023, the Fund likewise disclosed Trustee pay and one officer (Martire) compensation; Peter Goldstein’s compensation was not disclosed by the Fund .
Performance Compensation
- No performance-based incentives (RSUs/PSUs, options, bonus metrics, ESG goals) are disclosed for Peter Goldstein in Fund documents; the proxy does not present officer incentive structures beyond multi-fund ad hoc committees focused on CCO and certain other closed-end fund officers .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Metric | 2020 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common Shares Beneficially Owned | 0 (“No securities are beneficially owned”) | 0 | 0 |
| Percent of Outstanding Shares | n/a | <1% (asterisk) | <1% (asterisk) |
| Preferred Shares Beneficially Owned | n/a | 0 | 0 |
| Pledged Shares | None disclosed; no holdings | None disclosed; no holdings | None disclosed; no holdings |
| Hedging/Ownership Guidelines | Not disclosed by the Fund | Not disclosed by the Fund | Not disclosed by the Fund |
- Section 16 compliance: Based on the Fund’s review of Forms 3 and 4 for FY 2024, executive officers and trustees complied with applicable filing requirements .
- Recent insider filing reference: A 2025 Form 3 for a new trustee (Kilrain) was executed by “Peter D. Goldstein as Attorney-in-Fact,” reinforcing Goldstein’s legal authorization role; the filing reported no beneficial ownership for the trustee at that time .
Employment Terms
- Office held: Secretary and Vice President; Address: One Corporate Center, Rye, NY 10580-1422 .
- Start date/tenure: Officer since 2020 .
- Term mechanics: Officers hold office for an indefinite term until resignation/retirement or until a successor is duly elected and qualified .
- Non-compete, non-solicit, severance, change-of-control, clawbacks, ownership/anti-hedging policies: Not disclosed in Fund proxy materials for officers .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Zero share ownership and absence of disclosed equity/option awards suggest minimal direct “skin-in-the-game” alignment with GDL shareholders; as a legal/compliance-focused officer compensated by the adviser, his incentives are likely tied to adviser-level frameworks rather than fund TSR or operating metrics .
- Retention risk: Tenure since 2020 and concurrent senior legal roles at GAMCO/Associated Capital indicate institutional embeddedness; however, without disclosed employment agreements, severance, or change-of-control terms, formal retention levers are opaque .
- Trading signals: No holdings and no Form 4 activity result in limited insider trading signal value for GDL related to Goldstein; Section 16 compliance was confirmed for 2024, and the 2025 attorney-in-fact execution reinforces process discipline rather than directional intent .
- Governance: The Board’s independent committee structure and multi-fund ad hoc compensation processes (focused on CCO and certain other officers) provide oversight, but fund documents do not tie Goldstein’s pay to fund performance metrics, limiting pay-for-performance transparency for this role .