Thomas F. Lydon, Jr.

About Thomas F. Lydon, Jr.

Thomas F. Lydon, Jr. (year of birth: 1960) is an Independent Trustee of Guggenheim Strategic Opportunities Fund (GOF) and serves as Chair of the Contracts Review Committee; he has served on the GOF Board since 2019 . His background includes President of Global Trends Investments (registered investment adviser, 1996–present) and CEO of Lydon Media (2016–present), with prior roles including Vice Chairman at VettaFi (a TMX Group subsidiary; 2022–Apr 2024), CEO of ETF Flows, LLC (2019–2023), and Director at GDX Index Partners, LLC (2021–2023) . The Board identifies him as an Independent Trustee under the Investment Company Act and NYSE Rule 10A-3, recognizing his experience in financial, investment and governance matters and his authorship/editorial work on exchange-traded funds . Education details are not disclosed in the proxy .

Past Roles

External Roles

Board Governance

• Board classification for GOF: Lydon is a Class II Trustee; he is standing for election at the April 3, 2025 Annual Meeting for a term through 2027 if elected .
• Independence: Lydon is an Independent Trustee under the 1940 Act and NYSE Rule 10A-3 .
• Board leadership: Independent Chair is Ronald E. Toupin, Jr.; Board has five standing committees (Executive; Audit; Nominating & Governance; Contracts Review; Valuation Oversight) .
• Committee assignments for Lydon (GOF):
  • Contracts Review Committee (Chair)
  • Audit Committee (member)
  • Nominating and Governance Committee (member)
  • Valuation Oversight Committee (member; committee chaired by Randall C. Barnes)
• Meeting cadence and attendance (FY ended 5/31/2024): Board (6), Audit (7), Nominating & Governance (3), Contracts Review (2), Valuation Oversight (4); each Trustee attended at least 75% of meetings of the Board and committees on which they serve .

Fixed Compensation

Director compensation is cash-based across the Fund Complex, including annual retainers, additional chair retainers (Independent Chair and committee chairs), and fees for special Board/Committee meetings; Trustees receive reimbursements for reasonable expenses; no pension or retirement benefits accrue to Trustees .

Note: “The compensation amounts for the Independent Trustees changed effective January 1, 2025,” but specific new amounts are not disclosed in this proxy .

Performance Compensation

• No performance-based incentives (bonus, options, RSUs/PSUs, or TSR/EBITDA metrics) are disclosed for Independent Trustees; compensation is retainer- and fee-based .
• No equity grants or option awards to Trustees are disclosed in this proxy .

Other Directorships & Interlocks

Expertise & Qualifications

• Skills: Financial, investment, and governance expertise; ETF editorial/authorship experience; Chair of Contracts Review Committee .
• Industry experience: Registered investment adviser leadership (Global Trends Investments), financial media leadership, ETF/index ecosystem roles (VettaFi, GDX Index Partners) .
• Independent oversight credentials affirmed by Board; part of supermajority independent Board with independent legal counsel .

Equity Ownership

As of December 31, 2024, none of the Independent Trustees nor their immediate family members had any interest in the Adviser or Sub-Adviser or any person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Adviser or Sub-Adviser .

Governance Assessment

• Independence and engagement: Lydon is an Independent Trustee with at least 75% attendance, participating across key oversight committees, and chairing the Contracts Review Committee—positive for governance efficacy .
• Committee breadth: Service on Audit, Nominating & Governance, Valuation Oversight, and Chair of Contracts Review indicates deep involvement in financial reporting integrity, board composition, valuation oversight and adviser contract evaluations—constructive for investor confidence .
• Compensation structure: Cash retainers plus chair fees and meeting fees; no equity/pension components and no performance links—typical for closed-end fund trustees but offers limited direct pay-for-performance alignment .
• Ownership alignment: No reported GOF share ownership by Lydon (None); aggregate holdings over $100k across the Fund Complex—but lack of direct GOF holdings may be viewed as a mild alignment gap by some investors .
• Conflicts/related-party: Proxy discloses no interests by Independent Trustees in the Adviser/Sub-Adviser; no related-party transactions identified for Lydon; Board does not have a standing compensation committee (common for fund boards, but note for oversight structuring) .

RED FLAGS

• No direct GOF share ownership disclosed for Lydon (beneficial ownership “None”)—potential alignment concern for some shareholders .
• Board does not have a standing compensation committee—typical for funds, but investors may prefer explicit compensation oversight structures; monitor for any future changes .

Signals supporting confidence

• Independent status, multi-committee service, and chair role over contract reviews strengthen oversight of adviser agreements and fund operations .
• Audit Committee membership alongside an audit committee financial expert (committee chaired by Sandra G. Sponem) supports robust financial reporting oversight .

Appendix: Board/Committee Activity (FY ended 5/31/2024)

Annual Meeting and Election Context

• GOF Annual Meeting: April 3, 2025 (virtual); Lydon is a Class II nominee to serve until the 2027 annual meeting if elected; Board recommends “FOR” all nominees .
• Shares outstanding at record date (2/14/2025): GOF had 162,405,961 Shares .