Carter Austin
About Carter Austin
Carter W. Austin is Vice President and Ombudsman of The Gabelli Dividend & Income Trust (GDV), serving since 2003; year of birth 1966. He is also Senior Vice President of Gabelli Funds, LLC (the Fund’s Adviser and Administrator) since 2015 and is listed as GDV’s Investor Relations contact (phone and email) in recent communications. The Fund had approximately $3.2 billion in total net assets as of the latest distribution announcement.
- Role: Vice President & Ombudsman (since 2003); Senior Vice President, Gabelli Funds, LLC (since 2015)
- Investor Relations contact: (914) 921-5475; [email protected]
- Fund size context: GDV total net assets ~$3.2B
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Gabelli Dividend & Income Trust (GDV) | Vice President & Ombudsman | 2003–present | Vice President and/or Ombudsman of closed-end funds within the Gabelli Fund Complex |
| Gabelli Funds, LLC | Senior Vice President | 2015–present | Senior Vice President at the Fund’s Adviser/Administrator |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabelli Funds, LLC (Adviser & Administrator) | Senior Vice President | 2015–present | Adviser/Administrator to GDV; supports fund operations and communications |
Fixed Compensation
Aggregate cash compensation paid by the Fund to Carter W. Austin (proxies only disclose aggregate amounts for officers compensated by the Fund rather than the Adviser).
| Metric | FY 2019 | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregate Compensation from the Fund ($USD) | $180,000 | $91,605 | $92,894 |
Notes:
- Proxies list aggregate officer compensation; base salary, target/actual bonus, and perquisites are not itemized.
Performance Compensation
No performance-based equity or option awards, targets, or payouts are disclosed for Carter W. Austin in GDV’s recent proxy statements; only aggregate cash compensation amounts appear for officers compensated directly by the Fund.
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Beneficial ownership tables in GDV’s proxy list holdings for Trustees and certain executive officers; Carter W. Austin is not presented in the 2023 beneficial ownership table, and no share ownership disclosure for him was identified in the excerpts reviewed.
- The executive officer ownership table (as excerpted) lists John C. Ball, Peter Goldstein, and Richard J. Walz, but not Carter W. Austin.
Employment Terms
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Officer start date | Vice President & Ombudsman since 2003 |
| Term | Each officer will hold office for an indefinite term until resignation/retirement or until a successor is elected and qualified |
| Address | One Corporate Center, Rye, NY 10580-1422 |
| Contract/severance/CoC | Not disclosed in the proxy excerpts reviewed |
Investment Implications
- Tenure and role: Austin’s long service (since 2003) as Ombudsman and Vice President indicates continuity in shareholder communications and fund operations; he also serves as IR contact, reinforcing a communications-focused mandate rather than portfolio decision-making.
- Pay-for-performance alignment: Recent proxies disclose only modest aggregate cash compensation ($91.6k in FY2023; $92.9k in FY2024) without equity awards or performance-based metrics, suggesting limited direct alignment via equity incentives and minimal risk of insider selling pressure tied to vesting.
- Ownership visibility: No disclosed share ownership for Austin in the reviewed beneficial ownership tables, limiting direct “skin-in-the-game” assessment from filings.
- Trading signals: Given the absence of disclosed equity awards, vesting schedules, or insider holdings for Austin, executive-driven trading signal risk appears minimal from his role; portfolio performance drivers are more influenced by the Adviser’s investment process and the Fund’s market dynamics.