Christian Rijs
About Christian Rijs
Christian Rijs serves as Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Compliance Officer for The New Germany Fund, Inc. (GF) and has held this role since 2021; he is listed at age 45 in the latest proxy and 44 in the prior year, and concurrently serves as AML Officer across multiple DWS U.S. registered investment companies and trusts (DWS Trust Company; DBX ETF Trust) with Anti-Financial Crime & Compliance Senior Team Lead responsibilities at DWS . He previously served as DWS UK & Ireland Head of Anti-Financial Crime and MLRO (Money Laundering Reporting Officer), evidencing deep AML governance and regulatory experience . Officers are elected annually by the Board following the Annual Meeting of Stockholders; the Funds state they have no employees, with officer functions sourced from DWS . No fund-paid officer compensation or GF share ownership is disclosed for Mr. Rijs (beneficial ownership “None” for GF and CEE in both 2024 and 2025), constraining pay-for-performance linkage and insider-selling signals at the fund level .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| DWS UK & Ireland | Head of Anti-Financial Crime and MLRO (formerly) | — | AML leadership and regulatory oversight for the UK & Ireland footprint |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed in SEC filings | — | — | — |
Fixed Compensation
- No compensation is paid by the Fund to officers or to Directors who are “interested persons” of the Funds or any DWS Group entity; director cash compensation applies only to independent directors, and there is no pension/retirement plan for Directors .
- The Funds have not established a compensation committee, citing that neither Fund has employees; committee structure consists of Audit, Advisory & Valuation, and Nominating & Governance .
Performance Compensation
- Not applicable/disclosed for fund officers: the proxy states officers do not receive compensation from the Fund, and no performance-tied incentive plan, vesting schedules, or award metrics are disclosed for officers .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Metric | 2024 (as of May 2, 2024) | 2025 (as of May 16, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| GF – Beneficial Shares (Rijs) | None | None |
| CEE – Beneficial Shares (Rijs) | None | None |
| Group (Directors + Executive Officers) – GF Shares | 20,406 (<1% of outstanding) | 6,236 (<1% of outstanding) |
| Group (Directors + Executive Officers) – CEE Shares | 3,118 | 2,250 |
- No pledging, hedging, or stock ownership guidelines are disclosed for fund officers; director dollar ranges are reported separately in the proxy and are not applicable to officers .
Employment Terms
| Term | Details |
|---|---|
| Officer election cadence | Officers are elected annually by the Board at its meeting following the Annual Meeting of Stockholders . |
| Employment status | The Funds state neither Fund has employees; officer roles are fulfilled by DWS personnel across the Fund Complex . |
| Current roles held | AML Officer for DWS Trust Company; AML Officer for DBX ETF Trust; AML Officer for various DWS U.S. registered investment companies; Anti-Financial Crime & Compliance Senior Team Lead at DWS . |
| Address of record | c/o DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc., 875 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022 . |
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance linkage at GF is limited for fund officers: the proxy affirms no fund-paid officer compensation; thus, no disclosed salary/bonus/RSU/option plans, vesting schedules, or performance metric targets tie Mr. Rijs’s compensation to GF outcomes .
- Alignment via equity ownership is minimal at the fund level: Mr. Rijs reports no GF or CEE beneficial ownership in 2024 and 2025, implying no direct insider selling pressure from his personal holdings and no in-the-money option dynamics or pledging red flags disclosed .
- Retention and transition risk appear chiefly linked to DWS employment rather than GF-specific contracts, as officers are DWS personnel and elected annually; no GF severance, change-of-control, non-compete, or clawback terms are disclosed for officers .
- Governance context: with no compensation committee and officers sourced from DWS, compensation oversight is focused on independent directors’ retainers; AML oversight and compliance leadership by Mr. Rijs is operationally critical but not a direct trading signal for GF’s stock absent disclosed incentives or ownership .