James Thom
About James Thom
James Thom is Vice President of The India Fund, Inc. (IFN), serving as an executive officer since 2019. He is a Senior Investment Director on abrdn’s Asian Equities Team and joined abrdn in 2010; year of birth is 1977 . The proxy points to the Fund’s Annual Report/Form N-CSR for performance metrics; specific TSR or portfolio performance is not disclosed in the proxy itself . Officers who are “interested persons” do not receive compensation directly from the Fund; they may be reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket travel expenses to attend Board meetings .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| The India Fund, Inc. | Vice President (Officer of the Fund) | 2019–present | Executive officer function supporting Fund governance and operations; officers are appointed annually . |
| abrdn | Senior Investment Director, Asian Equities Team | 2010–present | Investment leadership within abrdn’s Asian equities capability; aligns with IFN’s externally managed structure . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not disclosed in IFN filings | — | — | The proxy lists Thom’s abrdn role but does not disclose external directorships or board roles for him . |
Fixed Compensation
- Officers who are “interested persons” (i.e., abrdn-affiliated) do not receive any compensation directly from IFN; reasonable out-of-pocket travel expenses for Board meetings may be reimbursed .
| Component | 2024 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | Not disclosed | Compensation is not paid by IFN; officers are employees of abrdn . |
| Target bonus % | Not disclosed | Not disclosed in IFN proxy . |
| Actual bonus | Not disclosed | Not disclosed in IFN proxy . |
| Perquisites | Not disclosed | Only travel expense reimbursement referenced . |
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not disclosed | — | — | — | — | — |
The Fund does not disclose officer incentive structures (RSUs/PSUs/options) or performance metrics for abrdn-employed officers in its proxy materials .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- As of April 1, 2025, no Director or executive officer individually, nor the Directors and executive officers of the Fund as a group, represented more than 1% of the Fund’s outstanding shares .
- Beneficial ownership dollar ranges are disclosed for Directors; officer-level individual ownership detail (e.g., shares/values, pledged shares) is not provided in the proxy .
- Section 16(a) reporting: all Reporting Persons (including officers) timely filed required ownership reports for FY 2024 per the Fund’s review of EDGAR submissions and written representations .
| Ownership Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (shares) | Not individually disclosed for officers . |
| Ownership as % of shares outstanding | <1% individually and as a group (Directors and executive officers) . |
| Vested vs. unvested shares | Not disclosed . |
| Options (exercisable/unexercisable) | Not disclosed . |
| Shares pledged as collateral | Not disclosed . |
| Stock ownership guidelines (officers) | Not disclosed . |
| Section 16 compliance | All reporting persons timely filed in FY 2024 . |
Employment Terms
- Officers of the Fund are chosen annually and serve until the next year and until successors are chosen and qualified .
- Employment contracts, severance arrangements, non-compete/non-solicit provisions, change‑of‑control terms, and clawback policies for officers are not disclosed in the proxy .
| Term | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Employment start date at IFN | Officer since 2019 . |
| Contract term/expiration | Not disclosed . |
| Severance multiple (salary+bonus) | Not disclosed . |
| Change-of-control triggers | Not disclosed . |
| Non-compete / non-solicit | Not disclosed . |
| Clawback provisions | Not disclosed . |
Performance & Track Record
- Role-based credentials: Senior Investment Director on abrdn’s Asian Equities Team since 2010; IFN is externally managed by abrdn Asia Limited .
- Fund performance metrics (e.g., NAV total return) are referenced to the Annual Report on Form N‑CSR (FY2024) but are not enumerated in the proxy .
Compensation Committee Analysis
- IFN’s standing committees are Audit and Nominating; there is no Compensation Committee disclosed for the Fund .
Risk Indicators & Red Flags
- Section 16(a) ownership reports: no delinquencies noted for FY 2024 .
- Pledging/hedging by officers: not disclosed .
- Repricing or modification of equity awards: not applicable/disclosed (officers do not receive compensation directly from IFN) .
- Related party transactions for officers: not disclosed in the proxy .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: As an abrdn-employed officer, Thom’s compensation is not paid by IFN, reducing direct pay-for-performance linkage to Fund-level outcomes; governance relies on abrdn’s incentive structures rather than IFN’s .
- Insider selling pressure: With no officer or group holding ≥1% of shares, structural selling pressure from executive holdings appears limited; individual officer positions are not disclosed .
- Disclosure gap: Absence of officer compensation, equity award, pledging, and employment term disclosures limits visibility into retention incentives and potential trading signals .
- Process oversight: Officers are appointed annually; committee structure centers on Audit and Nominating without a Compensation Committee, implying compensation governance resides at the manager (abrdn), not the Fund board .
- Monitoring: Track Form 4 filings for James Thom to assess any ownership changes or selling; the Fund reports timely Section 16 compliance but does not list officer holdings in the proxy .