John Ball
President, Treasurer, and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer at GABELLI DIVIDEND & INCOME TRUST
Executive
About John C. Ball
John C. Ball serves as President, Treasurer, and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer of The Gabelli Dividend & Income Trust (GDV). He has held officer roles in the Gabelli Fund Complex since 2017 and is also Senior Vice President of GAMCO Investors, Inc. (since 2018) and Chief Executive Officer of G. Distributors, LLC (since 2020). Year of birth: 1976; Address: One Corporate Center, Rye, NY 10580-1422. The proxy does not disclose executive-specific performance metrics such as TSR, revenue growth, or EBITDA growth tied to his compensation .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabelli Fund Complex | Officer of registered investment companies | Since 2017–present | Officer across registered funds in complex |
| GAMCO Investors, Inc. | Senior Vice President | Since 2018–present | Senior leadership at affiliated asset manager |
| G. Distributors, LLC | Chief Executive Officer | Since 2020–present | Leadership of distribution affiliate |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| GAMCO Investors, Inc. | Senior Vice President | Since 2018–present | External to GDV as Adviser affiliate |
| G. Distributors, LLC | Chief Executive Officer | Since 2020–present | External operating role within Gabelli ecosystem |
Fixed Compensation
- GDV’s compensation table lists only Trustees and officers compensated directly by the Fund; John C. Ball is not listed among officers receiving compensation from GDV for FY2024, implying his compensation is paid by affiliates (e.g., the Adviser) and not disclosed in the Fund’s proxy .
- The Board uses multi-fund ad hoc compensation committees for certain closed-end fund officers (e.g., Chief Compliance Officer), but the proxy provides no detail on Ball’s salary, target/actual bonus, or equity awards from GDV .
Performance Compensation
- No disclosure of incentive metrics (revenue growth, EBITDA, TSR percentile, ESG goals), grant structures (RSUs/PSUs/options), targets, actuals, or payout formulas for John C. Ball in GDV’s proxy materials .
- No vesting schedules, clawback provisions, tax gross-ups, or deferred compensation detail specific to Ball are disclosed by GDV .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Metric | As of Dec 31, 2024 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Common Shares Owned | 12 | Beneficial ownership as reported |
| % of Common Shares Outstanding | Less than 1% | Asterisk denotes <1% per proxy footnote |
| Preferred Shares Owned | — | No preferred holdings reported for Ball |
| Vested vs Unvested Shares | Not disclosed | No breakdown provided |
| Options (Exercisable/Unexercisable) | Not disclosed | No option data provided |
| Pledged/Hedged Shares | Not disclosed | No pledging/hedging disclosure for Ball |
| Ownership Guidelines | Not disclosed | No executive ownership guideline disclosure for Ball |
Employment Terms
- Office tenure: Officer of GDV since 2017; currently President, Treasurer, Principal Financial and Accounting Officer .
- Term: Officers hold office for an indefinite term until resignation/retirement or until a successor is duly elected and qualified .
- Contracts, severance, change-of-control: No employment agreement, severance multiples, or change-of-control provisions disclosed for Ball in GDV filings reviewed .
- Non-compete / Non-solicit / Garden leave / Consulting: Not disclosed .
- Signatory authority: Ball signed GDV’s May 14, 2025 Form 8-K increasing Series M Preferred dividend rate and executed the Statement of Preferences amendment as President, demonstrating executive authority over corporate actions .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Ball’s reported direct ownership of 12 common shares and no disclosed preferred or option positions indicates minimal direct equity alignment at the Fund level; however, GDV officers commonly receive compensation via affiliates, and the proxy does not present executive-level pay/ownership structures, limiting visibility into broader alignment .
- Selling pressure: Lack of disclosed RSU/PSU/option grants and vesting schedules for Ball reduces the risk of predictable insider selling pressure tied to vesting events (data gap remains due to non-disclosure) .
- Retention risk: No employment agreements, severance, or change-of-control economics are disclosed for Ball, providing no formal retention hooks at the Fund level; retention likely resides at affiliated entities (GAMCO/Gabelli Funds/G. Distributors), but those details are not in GDV’s proxy .
- Governance/authority: Ball’s role as President/Treasurer/PFO and 8-K signatory reflects operational control and governance relevance for preferred shareholder actions (e.g., dividend changes), but no incentive linkage to GDV performance is disclosed, complicating pay-for-performance assessments .
- Data limitations: Key compensation and insider trading data for Ball are not disclosed in GDV filings; monitoring Section 16 filings (Forms 3/4/5) would be required to assess trading signals, but GDV’s 2025 proxy flags only one late Form 3 by a Trustee and otherwise notes compliance, with no Ball-specific trading events reported .