Andrew French
About Andrew French
Andrew R. French (born 1962) serves as Secretary of PGIM Short Duration High Yield Opportunities Fund (NYSE: SDHY) and has held legal and fund-administration roles across PGIM Investments-managed fund complexes; he has served as a Fund officer since inception and is the agent for service and signatory on shareholder reports . He has been Vice President and Assistant Secretary of PGIM Investments LLC since January 2007, Secretary of the PGIM Retail Funds and Prudential Annuities Funds since December 2018, and Secretary of the PGIM Alternatives Funds since March 2022 . Performance metrics such as TSR, revenue, or EBITDA growth are not disclosed for individual officers in SDHY’s proxy materials .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| PGIM Investments LLC | Vice President and Assistant Secretary | Since Jan 2007 | Not disclosed |
| PGIM Retail Funds; Prudential Annuities Funds | Secretary | Since Dec 2018 | Not disclosed |
| PGIM Alternatives Funds | Secretary | Since Mar 2022 | Not disclosed |
| Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC | Vice President and Assistant Secretary | Since Jan 2007 | Not disclosed |
| Prudential (The Prudential Insurance Company of America) | Vice President and Corporate Counsel | 2010–2018 | Not disclosed |
| Prudential | Director and Corporate Counsel | 2006–2010 | Not disclosed |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed for public company boards | — | — | — |
Fixed Compensation
The Fund’s officers, including the Secretary, are compensated by the Manager (PGIM Investments LLC); SDHY does not disclose officer cash compensation (salary/bonus) in its proxy, and interested trustees/officers do not receive compensation from PGIM Investments-managed funds .
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Base salary | Not disclosed; compensation paid by Manager |
| Target bonus % | Not disclosed; compensation paid by Manager |
| Actual bonus paid | Not disclosed; compensation paid by Manager |
| Perquisites | Not disclosed; officer compensation not paid by Fund |
Performance Compensation
SDHY’s proxy does not disclose performance-based compensation design (metrics/weightings/targets) for Fund officers; officer compensation and expenses are paid by the Manager .
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not disclosed for Fund officers | — | — | — | — | — |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
Officer share ownership and equity alignment details (e.g., RSUs/PSUs/options, pledging, hedging) are not presented in the Fund’s proxy; share ownership tables cover Board Members only, and Andrew French is an officer, not a trustee . SDHY reports all Section 16(a)/30(h) filing requirements were met for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024 . Andrew French appears as Power of Attorney signatory on Form 4 filings for directors of sister PGIM closed-end funds (ISD and GHY), which indicates an administrative role rather than a personal insider transaction for SDHY .
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (Andrew French) | Not disclosed in SDHY proxy; officer ownership not presented |
| Ownership as % of shares outstanding | Not disclosed for officers |
| Vested vs. unvested shares | Not disclosed for officers |
| Options (exercisable/unexercisable) | Not disclosed for officers |
| Shares pledged as collateral | Not disclosed for officers |
| Stock ownership guidelines (officers) | Not disclosed; Fund-level ownership guidelines presented for Board Members only |
| Section 16 filing status | Fund believes all filing requirements were met (FY ended Jul 31, 2024) |
| Form 4 context | French signed as POA for directors of ISD and GHY (not his personal transactions for SDHY) |
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Fund officer tenure | Secretary; Length of Service as Fund Officer: “Since Fund Inception” |
| Current role confirmation | Secretary of SDHY; signatory and agent in SEC filings |
| Contract term length/expiration | Not disclosed |
| Auto-renewal clauses | Not disclosed |
| Non-compete / non-solicit | Not disclosed |
| Garden leave / post-termination | Not disclosed |
| Change-of-control / severance | Not disclosed for Fund officers |
| Clawbacks / tax gross-ups | Not disclosed for Fund officers |
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance and insider pressure: Officer compensation for SDHY is paid by the Manager and not disclosed at the Fund level, limiting assessment of pay-for-performance alignment and making insider selling pressure analysis for Andrew French infeasible based on Fund disclosures .
- Retention risk: French’s long tenure across PGIM fund complexes (roles dating to 2007; Fund officer since inception) suggests continuity in fund administration; there is no disclosed employment term or severance/chg.-of-control economics to signal near-term retention risk .
- Trading signals: No SDHY-specific Section 16 transactions by French are identified in proxy materials; Form 4 signatures as POA for sister funds reflect administrative responsibilities, not personal trading signals for SDHY .
- Governance stability: As Secretary, French supports a Board structure with standing Audit, Nominating and Governance, Dryden Investment, and Compliance committees that met regularly in FY2024, indicative of established governance processes at the Fund .