John C. Ball
About John C. Ball
John C. Ball serves as President, Treasurer, and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer of The Gabelli Utility Trust (GUT), with service since 2017; his year of birth is 1976, and he has held senior finance roles across the Gabelli/GAMCO complex, including Senior Vice President of GAMCO Investors, Inc. (since 2018) and Chief Executive Officer of G.Distributors, LLC (since 2020) . His prior experience includes Treasurer of registered investment companies within the Gabelli/GAMCO Fund Complex (since 2017), Vice President and Assistant Treasurer of AMG Funds (2014–2017), and Vice President of State Street Corporation (2007–2014) . Fund proxies do not provide performance metrics (TSR, revenue, EBITDA) linked to Ball’s officer role, and fund officers employed by the Adviser receive no compensation from the Fund; therefore, compensation alignment must be evaluated at the Adviser level rather than through GUT’s filings .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabelli/GAMCO Fund Complex | Treasurer of registered investment companies | Since 2017 | Oversight of fund finance and reporting for the complex |
| AMG Funds | Vice President and Assistant Treasurer | 2014–2017 | Fund accounting/treasury leadership supporting mutual fund operations |
| State Street Corporation | Vice President | 2007–2014 | Institutional asset servicing/finance experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| GAMCO Investors, Inc. | Senior Vice President | Since 2018 | Senior finance/leadership role at Adviser to GUT |
| G.Distributors, LLC | Chief Executive Officer | Since 2020 | Distribution leadership for affiliates within Gabelli complex |
Fixed Compensation
- Officers of the Fund who are employed by the Adviser receive no compensation or expense reimbursement from the Fund; GUT does not disclose Ball’s base salary, target bonus, or actual bonus in its proxy filings .
Performance Compensation
- GUT’s proxy does not disclose RSUs/PSUs, options, performance metrics (revenue growth, EBITDA, TSR), vesting schedules, clawbacks, severance or change-in-control terms for Ball; he is compensated at the Adviser (Gabelli Funds/GAMCO) rather than by the Fund .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Metric | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Common Shares Beneficially Owned | 0 | 86 |
| Ownership as % of Shares Outstanding | <1% (“*”) | <1% (“*”) |
- As of December 31, 2024, Ball beneficially owned 86 common shares of GUT, which constitutes less than 1% of shares outstanding . In 2020, Ball reported zero shares owned; no options, RSUs, or pledging disclosures for Ball appear in GUT’s proxy .
Employment Terms
- Employment terms (including salary, bonus, equity, severance, change-of-control) for GUT’s officers employed by the Adviser are set at the Adviser level and are not detailed in GUT’s proxies; Ball’s officer roles and tenure are disclosed without contract specifics .
Investment Implications
- Transparency constraint: Because Ball is compensated by the Adviser, GUT does not disclose his pay mix, performance metrics, or vesting schedules; evaluating pay-for-performance alignment requires reviewing Adviser-level disclosures (GAMCO/Gabelli Funds), not GUT’s proxy .
- Ownership alignment: Ball’s disclosed beneficial ownership is minimal (<1% of GUT shares), limiting direct fund-level equity alignment signals; absence of pledged-share or derivative holdings disclosures reduces visibility into hedging/pledging risks .
- Retention/continuity: Tenure since 2017 and concurrent senior roles at GAMCO and G.Distributors indicate organizational continuity in fund finance and distribution leadership, but retention incentives (sign-on/retention bonuses, severance, CoC) are not visible at the fund level .
- Trading signals: No insider transaction details or award vesting timelines are disclosed in GUT proxies for Ball; investors should not infer selling pressure or imminent vesting events from fund filings alone .