Anthonie van Ekris
About Anthonie C. van Ekris
Independent Trustee of GAMCO Global Gold, Natural Resources & Income Trust (GGN) since 2005; year of birth 1934. Chairman and CEO of BALMAC International, Inc. for over twenty years, with 55+ years of leadership experience in international and commodity trading and prior service as chairman/CEO of a large public jewelry chain for nearly twenty years. Serves on boards of other funds in the Gabelli Fund Complex and as a director of GAMCO International SICAV; formerly a director of an oil and gas operations company; Advisory Board member of the Salvation Army of Greater New York for 10+ years. The Board classifies him as an Independent Trustee under the 1940 Act.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| BALMAC International, Inc. | Chairman & CEO | Over twenty years | Global import/export leadership |
| Large public jewelry chain | Chairman and/or CEO | Nearly twenty years | Retail operations and commodity trading exposure |
| Oil & gas operations company | Director | Prior | Energy industry oversight |
| Salvation Army of Greater New York | Advisory Board Member | 10+ years | Community and governance advisory |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabelli Fund Complex | Director/Trustee of other funds | Ongoing | Serves on boards of other funds in the Complex |
| GAMCO International SICAV | Director (Chairman in 2023) | Ongoing | Director; noted as Chairman in 2023 proxy |
Board Governance
- Board structure: Independent Trustees chair all committees; Lead Independent Trustee is James P. Conn; Board has Audit, Nominating, ad hoc Proxy Voting, and ad hoc Pricing Committees; multi-fund ad hoc Compensation Committees address CCO and certain officer compensation across the Complex.
- Independence: All Trustees other than Ms. Mullady are Independent Trustees.
- Portfolios overseen by van Ekris in Fund Complex: 23.
- Committee assignments for van Ekris: Not specifically disclosed in the proxy; committee structure and chair roles are described at Board level.
- Audit Committee Charter most recently reviewed/approved: Feb 13, 2025; scope includes oversight of financial reporting, internal controls, compliance, and auditor independence.
Board Meetings & Engagement
| Metric | FY 2022 | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Board Meetings Held | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Trustee Attendance Threshold | ≥75% of Board/committee meetings (met by each Trustee) | ≥75% of Board/committee meetings (met by each Trustee) | ≥75% of Board/committee meetings (met by each Trustee) |
| Annual Shareholder Meeting Attendance by Trustees | No (May 9, 2022) | No (May 22, 2023) | No (May 13, 2024) |
Fixed Compensation
- Structure: Annual retainer and meeting fees (cash only), with committee and chair fees; reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses for meeting attendance.
| Component | FY 2022 | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Retainer (Independent Trustee) | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Fee per Board Meeting Attended | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Committee Meeting Fee | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Audit Committee Chair Fee | $3,000 | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Nominating Committee Chair Fee | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Lead Independent Trustee Fee | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| van Ekris Aggregate Compensation from Fund | $23,000 | $23,000 | $23,000 |
| van Ekris Aggregate Compensation from Fund + Fund Complex | $214,500 | $216,000 | $212,000 |
Performance Compensation
- No equity grants (RSUs/PSUs), stock options, or performance-based compensation disclosed for Trustees; compensation is cash retainer/meeting fees only.
| Performance Metric | Applies to Trustee Compensation? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue/EBITDA/TSR metrics | No | Trustee compensation described solely as cash retainers/fees; no performance linkage |
| Equity Awards (RSUs/PSUs) | No | No director equity program disclosed |
| Stock Options | No | No options disclosed for Trustees |
| Clawback/Parachute Provisions | Not disclosed | Not applicable to Trustees in proxy |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Other public company directorships (past five years, excluding other funds managed by the Adviser): None indicated for van Ekris in the trustee information table (dash).
Interests in Adviser-Affiliated Entities (Potential Interlocks)
| Entity | Title/Class | FY 2022 Value | FY 2023 Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| LICT Corp. | Common Stock | $480,000 | $217,200 |
| The LGL Group, Inc. | Common Stock | $8,910 | $13,508 |
| CIBL | Common Stock | $42,600 | $42,480 |
| The LGL Group, Inc. | Warrants | $440 | $616 |
| M-Tron Industries Inc. | Common Stock | $9,625 | $39,270 |
| MachTen Inc. | Common Stock | — | $28,080 |
Note: These interests are in persons that may be deemed under common control with the Fund’s Adviser/affiliates (including Mario J. Gabelli), as disclosed; an asterisk indicates less than 1% of the class.
Expertise & Qualifications
- 55+ years as Chairman/CEO in international/commodity trading; prior leadership of a large public jewelry chain for nearly two decades.
- Service across multiple boards in the Fund Complex; director of GAMCO International SICAV (noted as Chairman in 2023).
- Nominating Committee emphasizes independence, conflicts review, time availability, and character/fitness; Board leadership deemed appropriate for effective oversight.
Equity Ownership
| Metric | As of Dec 31, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Fund Shares Owned (Common) | 2,300 |
| Percent of Shares Outstanding | <1% |
| Dollar Range in GGN | B ($1–$10,000) |
| Aggregate Dollar Range in Fund Complex | E (Over $100,000) |
Ownership furnished by each Trustee as of Dec 31, 2023; “Beneficial Ownership” per 1934 Act rules; an asterisk denotes <1% of shares outstanding.
Governance Assessment
- Independence and experience: Independent Trustee; deep multi-decade operating leadership in global trading; broad fund-complex exposure.
- Engagement: Quarterly Board cadence (4 meetings/year) with each Trustee attending at least 75% of Board/committee meetings; however, Trustees did not attend the annual shareholder meetings in 2022–2024, consistent with the fund’s stated expectation that Trustees are not expected to attend.
- Compensation alignment: Cash-only, fee-for-service structure; no equity or performance-based incentives for Trustees; van Ekris’s Fund compensation stable at $23,000 across 2022–2024; Fund Complex compensation modestly declined to $212,000 in 2024 from $216,000 in 2023 and $214,500 in 2022.
- Committee governance: Board-level committees (Audit/Nominating/ad hoc Proxy Voting/ad hoc Pricing) and multi-fund compensation committees. Lead Independent Trustee structure supports independent oversight; recent Audit Charter review (Feb 13, 2025) evidences ongoing governance updates.
- RED FLAGS
- Financial interests in Adviser-controlled or affiliated entities (LICT, LGL, CIBL, M-Tron, MachTen) may present perceived conflicts or interlocks; the proxy explicitly discloses these holdings for transparency.
- Non-attendance at annual meetings (2022–2024) may be viewed as lower shareholder-facing engagement, though the fund states Trustees are not expected to attend.