Christopher Kings

About Christopher Kings

Christopher Kings (born 1974) is Chief Executive Officer — Finance and Administration for Templeton Emerging Markets Income Fund (TEI), appointed in 2024; he previously served as Senior Vice President at Franklin Templeton Services, LLC and as an officer across certain Franklin Templeton funds . In his capacity, Kings signs Sarbanes–Oxley Section 906 certifications on TEI’s N-CSR and the Investment Company Act Rule 17f‑2 custody compliance assertions for the Franklin Templeton fund complex, indicating responsibility over financial reporting integrity and custody control compliance rather than portfolio performance; no TSR/revenue/EBITDA performance metrics are disclosed for his role . TEI’s proxy indicates officers’ salaries and expenses are paid by the investment manager or its affiliates—not by the Fund—and no officer pay components (salary, bonus, equity) are provided at the Fund level .

Past Roles

External Roles

No external directorships or outside roles were disclosed for Kings in TEI’s proxy materials .

Fixed Compensation

• TEI does not pay officer salaries; compensation for officers (including CEO—Finance and Administration) is paid by the investment manager or its affiliates. No base salary, target bonus, or actual bonus amounts are disclosed at the Fund level .
• No pension or retirement benefits accrue as Fund expenses for officers; such costs, if any, are borne by the adviser/affiliates .

Performance Compensation

• No performance-based pay (RSUs/PSUs/options), performance metrics, targets, or payout outcomes are disclosed for TEI officers. Closed-end fund proxies focus on trustee governance; officer compensation resides at Franklin entities and is not itemized in TEI’s filings .

Equity Ownership & Alignment

Notes:

• TEI lists dollar ranges of trustee (board) holdings, but does not provide officer-by-officer holdings; only a group ownership statement is provided for officers and trustees combined .
• TEI’s website references Section 16 “Insiders’ Beneficial Ownership Reports” on the SEC site; specific transactions for Kings are not summarized in TEI proxy documents .

Employment Terms

• Start in current role: 2024 (Chief Executive Officer — Finance and Administration) .
• Contract terms, severance, change-in-control, non-compete/non-solicit: No Item 5.02 8‑K filings for TEI were found during 2022–2025, and no employment agreement terms are disclosed in the proxy [ListDocuments: 0 records for 8‑K 5.02] .

Performance & Track Record

• Role-linked filings: Kings signed TEI’s Sarbanes–Oxley Section 906 certification for the June 30, 2024 reporting period (N‑CSR), asserting compliance and fair presentation of financials .
• Control environment: Kings signed multiple Rule 17f‑2 custody compliance assertions for the Franklin Templeton funds, indicating custody control compliance across specified periods in 2024–2025 .
• Portfolio performance metrics and TSR for his tenure are not attributed to Kings in TEI filings (portfolio outcomes are overseen by investment management; Kings’ scope is finance/administration and controls) .

Compensation Committee Analysis (applicability)

• TEI’s proxies describe Nominating/Corporate Governance and Audit Committee structures; there is no compensation committee setting officer pay for the Fund, consistent with officer compensation residing with Franklin entities -.
• Trustee compensation (board fees) is disclosed; officer compensation is not borne by TEI and not itemized in the Fund’s filings - -.

Say-on-Pay & Shareholder Feedback

• Recent proxies included only trustee elections and auditor ratification; no advisory “say-on-pay” votes are presented for TEI officers - -.

Risk Indicators & Red Flags

• Legal/SEC proceedings involving Kings: None disclosed in TEI’s proxies .
• Insider selling pressure: No officer-level holdings or transactions for Kings are presented in the proxy; Section 16 reports are maintained on SEC, but TEI materials do not summarize Kings’ trades .
• Clawbacks/gross-ups, award repricing, or related-party transactions specific to Kings: Not disclosed in TEI documents reviewed .

Expertise & Qualifications

• Prior five-year occupation: Senior Vice President, Franklin Templeton Services, LLC; officer across certain funds in the complex (finance/administration orientation). No education credentials are listed in TEI’s proxy .
• Functional scope evidenced by filings: Financial reporting certifications (SOX 906) and custody control compliance attestations (Rule 17f‑2) .

Work History & Career Trajectory

Equity Ownership & Alignment Details (Officer-Level)

• Individual ownership, vested/unvested breakdown, option holdings, and in-the-money values for Kings are not disclosed in TEI proxies; only a collective group ownership figure (<1%) is provided for officers and trustees .
• Stock ownership guidelines and compliance status applicable to officers are not described in TEI proxy materials; board investment policies pertain to trustees’ fund investments .

Investment Implications

• Alignment and transparency: Because officer compensation is set and paid by Franklin entities and is not disclosed at TEI, investors lack visibility into Kings’ cash/equity pay mix, performance-condition linkages, and vesting schedules—limiting pay-for-performance assessment at the Fund level .
• Retention and control quality: Repeated SOX 906 certifications and Rule 17f‑2 compliance attestations signed by Kings signal accountability over financial reporting and custody controls across periods, a positive indicator for control environment and operational continuity .
• Insider trading/ownership signals: With officer/trustee group ownership under 1% and no officer-level detail disclosed, near-term insider selling pressure from Kings appears limited in fund disclosures; however, absence of granular ownership and pledging data reduces the ability to quantify “skin in the game” for this executive .
• Governance scope: TEI’s board committees (Audit, Nominating/Corporate Governance) are active; absence of a fund-level compensation committee is consistent with industry practice for closed-end funds where officer pay is outside the Fund, but it reduces fund-level oversight optics of executive incentives -.