Christopher Kings
About Christopher Kings
Christopher Kings is Chief Executive Officer – Finance and Administration of Templeton Dragon Fund, Inc. (TDF), serving in this role since 2024, and is listed with year of birth 1974 and office address One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 . He provides Sarbanes‑Oxley certifications for TDF’s Form N‑CSR (Sections 302 and 906) as of August 26, 2025, indicating responsibility for disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting . He also signs Rule 17f‑2 custody compliance management assertions for the Franklin Templeton funds complex, evidencing oversight of custody/internal controls across the fund group (signed April 28, 2025 and September 26, 2024) . Education/background beyond the roles noted is not provided in the proxy; his principal occupation in the past five years is Senior Vice President, Franklin Templeton Services, LLC; and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Templeton Services, LLC | Senior Vice President | Past 5 years per proxy disclosure | Principal occupation over at least the past five years; officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex . |
| Franklin Templeton Group of Funds | Chief Executive Officer – Finance and Administration (signatory for custody compliance) | 2024–2025 | Signed Rule 17f‑2 management assertions for fund custody compliance (Apr 28, 2025; Sep 26, 2024), indicating leadership over internal controls/compliance across the fund group . |
| Templeton Dragon Fund, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer – Finance and Administration | Since 2024 | Executive officer of the Fund (non‑director) ; provides SOX 302/906 certifications for N‑CSR dated Aug 26, 2025 . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not Applicable | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | “Other Directorships Held During at Least the Past 5 Years” for Kings is listed as Not Applicable in the executive officers table . |
Fixed Compensation
Fund officers are paid by the Investment Manager or its affiliates; the Fund does not compensate officers. Specific amounts (salary/bonus) for executive officers are not disclosed in the Fund’s proxy.
| Component | Detail |
|---|---|
| Base salary | Not disclosed by the Fund; salaries/expenses of officers are paid by the Investment Manager or its affiliates, not by TDF . |
| Target bonus % | Not disclosed by the Fund . |
| Actual bonus paid | Not disclosed by the Fund . |
| Pension/retirement benefits charged to Fund | No pension or retirement benefits are accrued as part of Fund expenses . |
Performance Compensation
No equity/option or performance‑metric compensation disclosures for executive officers appear in the Fund’s proxy; officers are compensated by the Investment Manager, not the Fund.
| Incentive Type | Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout Mechanism | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash/Annual Incentive | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed . |
| RSUs/PSUs | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed . |
| Stock Options | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed . |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Individual ownership for Kings | Not individually disclosed in proxy; only aggregate statement for directors and officers as group . |
| Directors and officers as a group ownership | Less than 1% of outstanding shares as of March 10, 2025 . |
| Pledged shares | Not disclosed in proxy materials reviewed. |
| Ownership guidelines | Board members (Independent Directors) follow an investment policy requiring one‑third of fees invested in Templeton funds until holdings reach ≥3x retainer/meeting fees; this policy pertains to Directors, not officers . |
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Appointment | Officers are appointed by the Directors and serve at the pleasure of the Board . |
| Role start date | Kings has served as Chief Executive Officer – Finance and Administration since 2024 . |
| Contract term/expiration | Not disclosed in proxy . |
| Severance/Change‑of‑Control | Not disclosed in proxy; no severance/CoC economic terms provided for officers . |
| Non‑compete/Non‑solicit | Not disclosed in proxy . |
| Clawback provisions | Not disclosed in proxy . |
| Governance oversight interface | Audit Committee charter contemplates communications from the Fund’s Chief Executive Officer – Finance and Administration and CFO/CAO regarding control deficiencies/fraud, evidencing formal oversight channels for Kings’s function . |
Performance & Governance Signals
- SOX 302/906 certifications by Kings for the period ended June 30, 2025 demonstrate accountability for disclosure controls and fair presentation of financials (dated Aug 26, 2025) .
- Multiple Rule 17f‑2 custody compliance management assertions signed by Kings across the Franklin Templeton fund complex indicate recurring responsibility over custody/internal controls (Apr 28, 2025; Sep 26, 2024) .
Investment Implications
- Pay‑for‑performance clarity is limited: fund officers’ compensation is paid by the Investment Manager and not disclosed in the Fund’s proxy, so alignment levers like salary/bonus mix, performance metrics, equity awards, vesting schedules, severance, and CoC economics for Kings cannot be assessed from the Fund’s filings .
- Direct equity alignment appears modest at the officer level: directors and officers as a group own less than 1% of outstanding shares, suggesting limited direct share ownership by insiders collectively; individual ownership by Kings is not disclosed .
- Governance/controls oversight is formalized: Kings’s role requires SOX certifications and engagement with the Audit Committee on internal controls, and he signs fund custody compliance assertions, which supports process rigor but does not provide trading signals or incentive alignment detail .
- Monitoring focus: watch for any future 8‑K Item 5.02 or Form 4 filings relating to Kings for updates on employment terms or insider transactions; in the absence of disclosed equity awards or vesting schedules, near‑term insider selling pressure tied to award vesting cannot be inferred from current TDF proxy materials .