Josh Duitz
About Josh Duitz
Josh Duitz is Vice President of abrdn World Healthcare Fund (THW) and other affiliated funds, serving since 2023; he is currently Head of Global Income at abrdn Inc. and was previously a Portfolio Manager at Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC before joining abrdn in 2018. The proxy discloses his year of birth as 1970, office location in New York, and current responsibilities at abrdn; no education or fund-specific performance metrics (e.g., TSR, revenue/EBITDA growth) are reported for him in THW’s filings .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC | Portfolio Manager | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| abrdn Inc. | Head of Global Income | Since 2018 | Leads global income investment activities; specific metrics not disclosed |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | — | — |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Detail |
|---|---|
| Paying entity | All fund officers (including Duitz) are employees of and compensated by abrdn Inc. or an affiliate; they receive no compensation from THW or the other funds . |
| Base salary | Not disclosed in THW filings (compensation paid by abrdn Inc., not the funds) . |
| Target bonus % / actual bonus | Not disclosed in THW filings (funds do not report officer bonus plans; statement notes none of the Funds have bonus/profit sharing/pension plans at the fund level) . |
| Pension/SERP | None at the fund level; officer benefits, if any, would be via abrdn Inc. and are not disclosed in THW filings . |
| Perquisites | Not disclosed . |
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not disclosed | — | — | — | — | — |
- abrdn employees may receive, as a portion of their bonus, deferred shares and/or stock options of abrdn plc, suggesting any equity-linked incentive for Duitz is tied to abrdn plc rather than THW; award terms and metrics are not disclosed at the individual level .
- No fund-level officer PSUs/RSUs/options or vesting schedules are disclosed for THW officers (officer pay is not funded by THW) .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (individual) | Not disclosed for Duitz in THW filings . |
| Aggregate insider ownership | Trustees and officers, in aggregate, owned less than 1% of each Fund’s outstanding equity securities as of April 1, 2025 . |
| Vested vs unvested shares | Not disclosed for Duitz . |
| Options (exercisable/unexercisable) | Not disclosed for Duitz . |
| Pledging/hedging | No pledging/hedging policy disclosure specific to officers appears in the proxy; not disclosed for Duitz . |
| Ownership guidelines | Not disclosed . |
| Section 16 compliance | THW notes only two late filings in FY2024 (Alan Goodson and Kathleen Goetz for open-market purchases); no late filings are noted for Duitz . |
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Start date in current officer role | Vice President of the Funds since 2023 . |
| Employer | abrdn Inc. (officer roles are with the Funds; employment and compensation provided by abrdn Inc.) . |
| Contract term / expiration | Not disclosed . |
| Auto-renewal | Not disclosed . |
| Non-compete / non-solicit | Not disclosed . |
| Garden leave | Not disclosed . |
| Post-termination arrangements | Not disclosed . |
| Severance / Change-of-control | Not disclosed . |
Board Governance
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Board role | Duitz is an officer (Vice President), not a Trustee of THW in the 2025 proxy . |
| Committees | Not applicable (officer, not Trustee) . |
| Attendance | Not applicable to officers; Board/committee attendance pertains to Trustees . |
Risk Indicators & Red Flags
- Fund-level officer compensation and equity details are not disclosed; officer pay is outside the fund (via abrdn Inc.), limiting visibility into pay-for-performance alignment at THW .
- Aggregate insider ownership at THW is <1%, suggesting limited direct fund “skin-in-the-game” among Trustees and officers; specific ownership for Duitz not disclosed .
- Section 16 late filings disclosed do not include Duitz; no reported insider selling pressure involving Duitz in FY2024 .
- No disclosures of clawbacks, tax gross-ups, repricing, or related-party transactions involving Duitz in THW’s proxy .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Current role: Head of Global Income at abrdn Inc.; Vice President of the Funds since 2023 .
- Prior role: Portfolio Manager at Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC (prior to joining abrdn in 2018) .
- Education, certifications, publications, and awards: not disclosed .
Work History & Career Trajectory
| Organization | Role | Timeframe | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| abrdn Inc. | Head of Global Income | Since 2018 | Joined from Alpine Woods; officer of the Funds since 2023 . |
| Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC | Portfolio Manager | Not disclosed | Prior position before abrdn; specific tenure not disclosed . |
Compensation Structure Analysis
- Officer compensation is paid by abrdn Inc., not THW; thus, shifts in cash vs equity mix, guaranteed vs at-risk pay, or metric changes for Duitz are not reported at the fund level .
- Potential equity link is to abrdn plc via deferred shares/options, which may align incentives to abrdn corporate performance rather than THW-specific outcomes; individual award specifics for Duitz are not disclosed .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: With compensation paid by abrdn Inc. and possible equity incentives tied to abrdn plc, Duitz’s direct financial alignment to THW’s share price and discount to NAV appears limited at the fund level; insider ownership is minimal (<1% aggregate), reducing “skin-in-the-game” signals .
- Retention risk: Officer employment terms, severance, and CoC economics are not disclosed; retention visibility is low .
- Trading signals: No reported late filings or insider selling involving Duitz in FY2024; absence of officer-specific ownership and vesting data limits use of insider activity as a signal .
- Conclusion: Evaluating pay-for-performance for Duitz at THW is constrained by fund-level disclosure—focus should be on abrdn’s incentive framework and fund outcomes under the portfolio management team, while monitoring any future filings for individual ownership or comp updates.