Susan Laughlin
About Susan Watson Laughlin
Independent Trustee of The Gabelli Dividend & Income Trust since 2017; born 1952; CFA charterholder. Background spans executive search (Spencer Stuart, 2010–2016) and senior investor relations, media analysis, and research roles at MCI, Interpublic Group, PepsiCo, Nielsen Media Research, Gannett, Morgan Stanley, Metromedia, EF Hutton, and Scudder, Stevens & Clark; she is a past president of the Investor Relations Association (1998–2000) and oversees 2 portfolios within the Fund Complex. Her current other public directorship is PMV Consumer Acquisition Corp.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Stuart | Executive Search Associate | 2010–2016 | Board/CEO search domain expertise |
| Investor Relations Association | President | 1998–2000 | IR leadership/community |
| MCI, Inc. | Investor Relations Executive | Not disclosed | IR responsibilities |
| Interpublic Group | Investor Relations Executive | Not disclosed | IR responsibilities |
| PepsiCo, Inc. | Investor Relations Executive | Not disclosed | IR responsibilities |
| Nielsen Media Research | Investor Relations Executive | Not disclosed | IR responsibilities |
| Gannett Co. | Investor Relations Executive | Not disclosed | IR responsibilities |
| Morgan Stanley & Co. | Senior Media Analyst | Not disclosed | Sell-side/media analysis |
| Metromedia, Inc. | Vice President (Financial Relations) | Not disclosed | Financial communications |
| EF Hutton & Co. | Senior Media Analyst; Assistant Vice President | Not disclosed | Sell-side/media analysis |
| Scudder, Stevens & Clark | Vice President (Research) | Not disclosed | Asset mgmt research |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees |
|---|---|---|---|
| PMV Consumer Acquisition Corp. | Director | Current | Not disclosed |
Board Governance
- Independent Trustee (not an “interested person”); Trustee since 2017; term continues until the Fund’s 2026 Annual Meeting per 2025 proxy (she was in the class serving until 2025 per 2024 proxy) .
- Board committees include Audit (Chair: Salvatore M. Salibello; designated financial expert), Nominating, ad hoc Proxy Voting, ad hoc Pricing, and multi‑fund ad hoc Compensation Committees; Lead Independent Trustee is James P. Conn and presides over executive sessions .
- Meeting cadence and attendance:
- FY2023: 4 board meetings; each Trustee then serving attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings .
- FY2024: 5 board meetings (4 regular, 1 special); each Trustee then serving attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings .
| Metric | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Board meetings held | 4 | 5 (4 regular + 1 special) |
| Attendance compliance | Each Trustee ≥75% | Each Trustee ≥75% |
| Lead Independent Trustee | James P. Conn | James P. Conn |
| Audit Chair | Salvatore M. Salibello (financial expert) | Salvatore M. Salibello (financial expert) |
Committee memberships for Ms. Laughlin are not explicitly enumerated in the proxies; no chair roles are disclosed for her .
Fixed Compensation
The Trustee compensation program is cash‑based with retainer and per‑meeting fees; chair premia for selected roles.
| Item | FY 2017 | FY 2019 | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual retainer (Independent Trustees) | $18,000 | $18,000 | $18,000 | $18,000 |
| Board meeting fee (per meeting) | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Committee meeting fee (per meeting) | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Audit Committee Chair annual fee | $3,000 | $3,000 | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Nominating Chair annual fee | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Lead Independent Trustee annual fee | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 |
Individual compensation disclosure (most recent available):
| Person | Aggregate Compensation from GDV | As‑of |
|---|---|---|
| Susan V. Watson (Laughlin) | $24,000 | FY 2022 |
Performance Compensation
| Item | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Equity awards to Trustees (RSUs/PSUs/Options) | Not disclosed; program described as cash retainer and per‑meeting fees | Not disclosed; program described as cash retainer and per‑meeting fees |
| Performance metrics tied to director pay | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
No RSUs/PSUs/options or performance metrics for Trustees are described in GDV’s proxy materials; compensation appears entirely cash‑based .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Relationship | Detail | As‑of |
|---|---|---|---|
| PMV Consumer Acquisition Corp. | Public company director | Listed in Trustee biography | 2025 |
| Adviser‑controlled persons (interests table) | None listed for Susan | Susan not listed among Independent Trustees with interests in persons controlled by the Adviser (table includes others) | 2023 |
Expertise & Qualifications
- CFA charterholder; deep IR and capital markets background across media, consumer, and communications; executive search exposure focused on board placements .
- Oversees 2 portfolios in the Fund Complex—suggesting multi‑fund governance familiarity .
- Prior roles span investor relations and research at large corporates and financial institutions (MCI, Interpublic, PepsiCo, Nielsen, Gannett, Morgan Stanley, Metromedia, EF Hutton, Scudder) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Common shares beneficially owned (shares) | 1,791 | 1,896 |
| Percent of shares outstanding | * (<1%) | * (<1%) |
| Dollar range in GDV held | C ($10,001–$50,000) | C ($10,001–$50,000) |
| Aggregate dollar range across Fund Complex | E (Over $100,000) | E (Over $100,000) |
Ownership values as of December 31 for each year, per proxy tables .
Governance Assessment
- Independence and tenure: Independent Trustee since 2017; current term runs to 2026; no disclosed related‑party interests with Adviser‑controlled entities—supports independence and investor‑aligned oversight .
- Engagement: Board met 4 times in 2023 and 5 times (incl. 1 special) in 2024; proxies state each Trustee met ≥75% attendance thresholds—indicates baseline engagement .
- Alignment: Personal GDV ownership increased from 1,791 to 1,896 shares, with Fund dollar range “C” and Fund Complex “E” (> $100k)—modest direct fund exposure with broader complex holdings .
- Compensation structure: Cash‑only (retainer and per‑meeting fees) with chair premia; absence of equity grants avoids pay‑for‑performance alignment but reduces potential conflicts from award design; individual FY2022 comp disclosed at $24,000 .
- Board effectiveness context: Audit Committee chaired by a CPA/financial expert; Lead Independent Trustee structure and executive sessions in place—sound oversight architecture; Ms. Laughlin’s explicit committee memberships are not disclosed, limiting visibility into her committee‑level impact .
Red flags
- None disclosed specific to Ms. Laughlin (no related‑party transactions, pledging, or attendance shortfalls noted). Committee assignments are not enumerated for her, which is a disclosure gap for assessing individual committee effectiveness .