Katie Gebauer
About Katie Gebauer
Katie Gebauer (year of birth: 1986) serves as Vice President of The India Fund, Inc. (IFN) and is an officer of the Fund since 2023; she is “Currently, Chief Compliance Officer—ETFs” and serves as CCO for abrdn ETFs Advisors LLC, having joined abrdn Inc. in 2014 . IFN delivered NAV total returns of 17.03% for the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 31.19% for the trailing year, with market price returns of 2.47% and 18.41%, respectively, providing context on fund TSR during her tenure .
| Fund Performance Context | 6M to 6/30/2024 (NAV) | 6M to 6/30/2024 (Price) | 1Y to 6/30/2024 (NAV) | 1Y to 6/30/2024 (Price) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Return (%) | 17.03 | 2.47 | 31.19 | 18.41 |
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| The India Fund, Inc. | Vice President (Fund Officer) | Since 2023 | Officer chosen annually; supports governance and compliance functions for the closed-end fund |
| abrdn Inc. | Compliance leadership; “Chief Compliance Officer—ETFs” | Joined 2014; currently CCO—ETFs | CCO oversight for U.S.-registered ETFs; compliance leadership across product governance |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| abrdn ETFs Advisors LLC | Chief Compliance Officer | Current (date not disclosed) | CCO for ETF adviser entity within abrdn |
| Aberdeen Fund Distributors, LLC (FINRA) | Registered Representative | 2014–present | No disclosures reported; prior registration at Pershing LLC 2011–2014 |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount/Terms | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | Not disclosed by IFN (officers are employees of abrdn and not paid by the Fund) | |
| Target/actual bonus | Not disclosed by IFN | |
| Cash compensation from IFN | Officers “do not receive any compensation directly from the Fund,” only reimbursement for reasonable out-of-pocket travel expenses | |
| Perquisites | Not disclosed by IFN | |
| Pension/SERP/deferred comp | Not disclosed by IFN |
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fund-level officer incentives | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Notes | IFN’s proxy does not disclose any performance-linked pay for officers; officers are not compensated by the Fund | ||||
| Source |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (IFN) | Specific officer holdings not disclosed; as of April 1, 2025, no Director or executive officer individually, nor the group, represented ≥1% of outstanding shares | |
| Ownership as % of shares outstanding | <1% individually and as a group | |
| Vested vs unvested shares | Not disclosed | |
| Options (exercisable/unexercisable) | Not disclosed | |
| Shares pledged as collateral | No pledging disclosures identified in IFN proxy materials | |
| Stock ownership guidelines | Not disclosed for officers |
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Officer role | Vice President | |
| Officer since | 2023 | |
| Appointment/term | “Executive officers of the Fund are chosen annually to hold office until the next year and until their successors are chosen and qualified” | |
| Employment agreement | Not disclosed by IFN | |
| Severance/change-of-control | Not disclosed by IFN | |
| Non-compete/non-solicit/garden leave | Not disclosed by IFN | |
| Post-termination consulting | Not disclosed by IFN | |
| Section 16 compliance | Reporting persons timely filed all required Section 16 reports in FY2024 per proxy disclosure |
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance linkage at the Fund level is minimal for officers: IFN explicitly states officers receive no compensation directly from the Fund and only travel reimbursements, so base salary/bonus/equity incentives, if any, reside at abrdn and are not disclosed in IFN filings—limiting visibility into incentive levers and reducing direct fund-level pay alignment analysis .
- Insider trading signals and selling pressure: IFN reports timely Section 16 filings for reporting persons in FY2024; however, no Form 4 activity specific to Ms. Gebauer is disclosed in IFN proxy materials, constraining signals from insider transactions at the fund level .
- Ownership alignment: With no officer individually (or officers plus directors as a group) owning ≥1% of outstanding shares and no specific officer holdings disclosed, equity “skin-in-the-game” appears limited for fund officers; no pledging disclosures were identified in the proxy .
- Retention/contract risk: Officers are appointed annually with no disclosed severance, change-of-control, or restrictive covenants for IFN officers, implying employment terms determined by abrdn rather than fund-level contracts; disclosure gaps limit assessment of change-of-control economics or clawbacks .
- Governance and role scope: Ms. Gebauer is an officer (not a director or committee member) with compliance responsibilities (CCO—ETFs), suggesting her impact channel is regulatory/compliance rather than portfolio construction; fund performance context for her tenure shows strong NAV results through mid-2024, but compensation and performance ties to her role are not disclosed by IFN .