Mauro Castaneda
About Mauro Castaneda
Mauro Castaneda is Chief Financial Officer of The Mexico Equity and Income Fund, Inc. (MXE) since 2025; his prior role was Analyst, Trading and Operations at Pichardo Asset Management S.A. de C.V. He was born in 1974 and is based in Mexico City at Andres Bello No. 45, 22nd Floor, Col. Chapultepec Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo, CDMX, 11560. The proxy discloses no education or professional certifications; management states no legal proceedings against directors, nominees, or officers in the past 10 years and none pending. Fund-level performance metrics (e.g., TSR, revenue/EBITDA growth) are not presented in the proxy; the annual and semi-annual reports are available via MXE’s website and SEC, but are not reproduced here.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pichardo Asset Management S.A. de C.V. | Analyst, Trading and Operations | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
External Roles
No external directorships or roles for Castaneda are disclosed in the proxy.
Fixed Compensation
MXE’s proxy statements detail director compensation but do not disclose officer compensation (base salary, bonus, equity) for the Fund’s officers; the Fund pays each Independent Director an annual fee of $30,000 plus committee/chair retainers and meeting fees, and indicates no bonus, profit sharing, pension or retirement plan at the Fund level. For officers (including CFO), compensation is not reported in the proxy and may be paid by the Adviser (Pichardo Asset Management), which is typical for closed-end funds.
Performance Compensation
No disclosure of officer incentive structures (bonus targets, RSUs/PSUs, options, performance metrics, vesting schedules) for the CFO appears in the proxy.
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (dollar range) | None | Castaneda reported “None” for the aggregate dollar range of MXE equity owned as of Oct 20, 2025 |
| Ownership as % of shares outstanding | Not disclosed | Shares outstanding were 4,400,209 as of Oct 20, 2025; individual percentages are not disclosed |
| Vested vs. unvested shares | Not disclosed | No officer equity breakdown provided |
| Options (exercisable/unexercisable) | Not disclosed | No officer option disclosures |
| Shares pledged as collateral | Not disclosed | No pledging disclosure for officers |
| Stock ownership guidelines (officers) | Not disclosed | No officer ownership guideline disclosure |
Additional ownership context:
- Management (directors and officers) beneficially owned, as a group, less than 1% of MXE common shares as of Oct 20, 2025.
Employment Terms
| Term | Details |
|---|---|
| Employment start date | CFO since 2025 |
| Contract term length/expiration | Not disclosed |
| Severance / change-of-control | Not disclosed (no officer employment agreements or severance terms disclosed) |
| Clawback provisions | No compensation clawback policy disclosed; Fund and Adviser have codes of ethics under 17j-1 and Advisers Act Section 204A |
| Non-compete / non-solicit / garden leave | Not disclosed |
| Post-termination consulting | Not disclosed |
Performance & Track Record
- Role context: As CFO, Castaneda is part of the senior officers providing reports to the Board for risk oversight alongside the President and CCO; the Board met four times in FY ended Jul 31, 2025 and relies on officers’ reports and auditor input. Specific CFO initiatives or performance metrics are not disclosed.
- Compliance and legal: Management reports no legal proceedings against directors, nominees, or officers over the prior 10 years and none pending. Section 16(a) filing compliance is reported as timely for persons subject to Section 16.
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Reported “None” in dollar-range ownership suggests limited direct equity alignment with shareholders; in closed-end fund structures, officer compensation is often paid by the external adviser and not disclosed at the Fund level, which reduces transparency on pay-for-performance and retention incentives.
- Retention/contract risk: No employment agreement, severance, or change-of-control terms are disclosed for the CFO, leaving retention economics and potential exit costs opaque; monitor future proxies and any 8-Ks for updates.
- Governance/oversight: The Board’s risk oversight framework relies on officer reporting (including CFO) and independent auditor review; meeting cadence (four per year) provides regular oversight but without disclosed CFO KPIs, investors must rely on fund reports to infer execution quality.
- Trading signals: With no disclosed officer equity awards or ownership, insider selling pressure appears minimal from Castaneda; continue tracking Section 16 filings and proxies for any changes in officer holdings or newly disclosed equity awards.