Peter Sullivan
About Peter Sullivan
Peter M. Sullivan is Chief Legal Officer, Vice President and Assistant Secretary of BNY Mellon Strategic Municipals, Inc. (NYSE: LEO) and has held these officer roles since 2019; he is 57 years old . He serves concurrently as Chief Legal Officer of the Investment Adviser (BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc.) and Associate General Counsel of BNY Mellon since July 2021, following prior legal leadership roles at BNY Mellon dating back to 2009 . In the closed-end fund structure, day-to-day operations are conducted by the Investment Adviser and Sub-adviser, with board oversight rather than officer-specific performance metrics; proxies disclose board compensation but do not report officer pay or pay-for-performance linkages .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| BNY Mellon Strategic Municipals, Inc. (Fund) | Chief Legal Officer, Vice President, Assistant Secretary | Since 2019 | Legal and governance oversight for the Fund as part of the adviser-led operating model . |
| BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. | Chief Legal Officer; Associate General Counsel of BNY Mellon | Since Jul 2021 | Enterprise legal leadership supporting fund complex governance and regulatory compliance . |
| The Bank of New York Mellon | Senior Managing Counsel | Dec 2020 – Jul 2021 | Senior legal management across asset management businesses . |
| The Bank of New York Mellon | Managing Counsel | Mar 2009 – Dec 2020 | Long-tenured counsel supporting funds and adviser operations . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| BNY Mellon Family of Funds | Officer of 47 investment companies (103 portfolios) | Ongoing | Cross-complex governance continuity; centralized legal standards across multiple funds . |
Fixed Compensation
- Officer-level compensation (base salary, bonus, equity) is not disclosed in the Fund’s proxy; the Compensation Committee’s remit is to establish compensation for serving on the Board, and the Fund does not have a bonus, pension, profit-sharing or retirement plan for directors .
- No officer compensation tables or pay metrics are presented; officers are listed in “Part II” with indefinite terms, consistent with adviser-led operations .
Performance Compensation
- No disclosure of officer performance metrics (e.g., revenue, EBITDA, TSR) tied to compensation for Fund officers; proxies focus on board oversight and director compensation only .
- No vesting schedules, RSU/PSU, option awards, or clawback provisions are reported for Fund officers in the proxy .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Status | As-of Date |
|---|---|---|
| Common Stock owned (LEO) | None | Aug 22, 2025 |
| VMTP Shares owned (LEO) | None | Aug 22, 2025 |
- As of August 22, 2025, none of the Funds’ Nominees, Continuing Directors, or officers owned any Common Stock or VMTP Shares of the Fund, indicating Sullivan held no Fund shares at that date .
- No pledging or hedging disclosures identified for officers in the proxy; not mentioned for officers .
Employment Terms
| Term Element | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Officer term | Indefinite; serves until successor is elected and qualified |
| Employer | Investment Adviser (BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc.); Associate General Counsel of BNY Mellon |
| Address | 240 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10286 (Fund officers’ address) |
| Non-compete / non-solicit | Not disclosed in Fund proxy |
| Severance / change-of-control | Not disclosed in Fund proxy |
| Garden leave / consulting | Not disclosed in Fund proxy |
Investment Implications
- Alignment and selling pressure: With zero reported Fund share ownership as of Aug 22, 2025, Sullivan does not present near-term insider selling pressure in LEO, but this also limits direct alignment with common shareholders of the Fund .
- Role profile and retention: Sullivan is a long-tenured legal executive embedded within BNY Mellon’s adviser structure, suggesting retention dynamics are primarily tied to the parent adviser rather than the Fund; officer terms are indefinite and operate under board oversight in an adviser-led model .
- Compensation transparency: The Fund discloses director compensation but not officer compensation, and there are no reported officer performance pay metrics or equity plans at the Fund level—reducing pay-for-performance signal extraction for trading models .
- Governance context: The Boards oversee risk and compliance while the Investment Adviser and Sub-adviser manage day-to-day operations; legal leadership roles like Sullivan’s are central to compliance and governance but do not drive portfolio returns directly .