Ben Ritchie
About Ben Ritchie
Ben Ritchie is a Vice President of abrdn World Healthcare Fund (THW) and has served since 2023. He is Head of the Developed Markets Equity team at abrdn Investments Limited and is listed with a London address (280 Bishopsgate, London); his year of birth is 1980. Officers of the Funds are appointed annually and serve until a successor is elected and qualifies. The Funds disclose officer roles and tenure but do not disclose fund-level performance attribution (e.g., TSR, revenue, EBITDA) tied to officer compensation.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| abrdn Investments Limited | Head of Developed Markets Equity team | Past five years noted as “Currently” | Not disclosed in the proxy |
External Roles
No external/public company directorships or committee roles are disclosed for Ben Ritchie in THW’s proxy materials.
Fixed Compensation
Officers of the Funds (including Ben Ritchie) are employees of abrdn Inc. or an affiliate and are compensated by abrdn, not by the Funds. The Funds report no officer bonus, profit sharing, pension, or retirement plans at the fund level; executive officers who are also officers/directors of abrdn or affiliates received no compensation from any Fund for the period reported (FY ended September 30, 2024).
| Item | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Employer | abrdn Investments Limited / abrdn Inc. (officers compensated by abrdn) |
| Fund-paid base salary | None (officers receive no compensation from the Funds) |
| Fund-paid bonus/profit sharing/pension | None (no such plans at the fund level) |
| Officer appointment cycle | Officers appointed annually; serve until successor elected and qualifies |
Performance Compensation
The proxy does not disclose officer-level performance metrics (e.g., revenue growth, EBITDA, TSR) or incentive structures for Fund officers; compensation is administered by abrdn, not THW. The Funds indicate no fund-level bonus/profit sharing plans for officers.
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not disclosed for Fund officers | — | — | — | — | — |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
The proxy provides trustee/nominee ownership ranges, but does not disclose individual officer holdings (including Ben Ritchie). It does disclose that each Fund’s trustees and officers, in aggregate, owned less than 1% of the Fund’s outstanding equity securities as of April 1, 2025. No pledging/hedging policies or officer ownership guidelines are disclosed in the proxy.
| Item | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Ben Ritchie beneficial ownership (THW) | Not individually disclosed |
| Aggregate trustees/officers ownership | Less than 1% of THW’s outstanding equity securities (as of April 1, 2025) |
| Shares outstanding (THW) | 39,849,957.6 (Record Date: April 7, 2025) |
| Pledging/hedging by officers | Not disclosed |
| Stock ownership guidelines (officers) | Not disclosed |
Employment Terms
| Term | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Fund officer role | Vice President of the Funds (THW and other abrdn healthcare funds) |
| Tenure start | Since 2023 |
| Appointment/term mechanics | Appointed annually; serve until successor elected and qualifies |
| Employment agreement | Not disclosed |
| Severance / change-of-control | Not disclosed |
| Clawbacks / tax gross-ups | Not disclosed |
Investment Implications
- Alignment to THW performance is indirect: Ben Ritchie’s compensation is paid by abrdn rather than by the Fund, and the Fund discloses no officer performance-linked (e.g., TSR/EBITDA) pay constructs, limiting direct pay-for-performance alignment at THW.
- Insider selling pressure appears limited at the Fund officer level: individual officer holdings are not disclosed, and trustees/officers in aggregate own less than 1% of THW’s shares, reducing the scope for material officer-driven trading signals. Section 16 compliance notes only minor late filings for other individuals, with no issues cited for Ben Ritchie.
- Retention risk is more closely tied to abrdn’s internal employment arrangements and incentives; the Fund-level proxy does not disclose abrdn employment contracts, severance, or change-of-control terms for officers.
- Governance context: THW’s Board operates Audit, Nominating & Corporate Governance, and Private Venture Valuation Committees; there is no compensation committee, consistent with officers being paid by abrdn rather than the Fund.