Robert Hepp
About Robert Hepp
Robert Hepp is Vice President of abrdn World Healthcare Fund (THW) and other abrdn healthcare funds; he was appointed in 2025 and is listed with year of birth 1986. He is currently Senior Product Governance Manager, Product Governance US at abrdn Inc., and joined abrdn in 2016 . Fund-level compensation for officers is paid by abrdn Inc., not by THW, and the proxy does not disclose any THW-specific pay-for-performance metrics or TSR/financial performance attribution for officers . Hepp also appears as one of the designated proxy holders on the 2025 proxy cards for the abrdn funds, indicating an administrative role in shareholder meeting logistics .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| abrdn Inc. | Senior Product Governance Manager, Product Governance US | Joined 2016; currently serving | Product governance oversight for US products |
| abrdn funds (HQH, HQL, THQ, THW) | Vice President (fund officer) | Since 2025 | Fund officer responsibilities; proxy holder on 2025 cards |
External Roles
- Not disclosed in the 2025 joint proxy statement .
Fixed Compensation
- Fund officers are employees of abrdn Inc. (administrator/investment adviser) and are compensated by abrdn or its affiliates; none of the Funds’ executive officers received compensation from the Funds for the fiscal year ended Sept 30, 2024 .
- The Funds have no bonus, profit sharing, pension or retirement plans for officers .
Performance Compensation
- Not disclosed. The proxy provides no THW-linked performance metrics (e.g., revenue growth, EBITDA, TSR percentile) tied to officer pay and states officers are not compensated by the Funds .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | As-of | Value/Status |
|---|---|---|
| THW shares outstanding | Record Date 04/07/2025 | 39,849,957.6 |
| Aggregate ownership of Trustees & officers (THW) | 04/01/2025 | Less than 1% of outstanding equity |
| Individual beneficial ownership (Hepp) | 04/01/2025 | Not disclosed; officer-level holdings not itemized |
| Shares pledged/hedged by officers | 04/01/2025 | Not disclosed |
| Stock ownership guidelines (officers) | 04/01/2025 | Not disclosed |
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position | Vice President of the Funds (including THW) since 2025 |
| Employer | abrdn Inc. (Investment Adviser/Administrator) |
| Appointment/term | Officers hold positions until a successor is duly elected and qualifies; officers are appointed annually at a Fund Board meeting |
| Employment contract/severance | Not disclosed in the proxy |
| Change-of-control economics | Not disclosed in the proxy |
| Non-compete/non-solicit | Not disclosed in the proxy |
| Proxy authority | Named proxy holder on 2025 proxy cards (administrative authority to vote proxies) |
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance alignment at the Fund level appears limited: officer compensation is paid by abrdn Inc. rather than THW, and the proxy discloses no THW-linked variable pay or performance metrics for officers, reducing direct linkage between THW outcomes and officer compensation .
- Insider trading visibility is sparse: Section 16(a) compliance was discussed, and late filings were noted for other individuals, but there is no specific disclosure of Hepp’s transactions; the proxy does not present officer-by-officer holdings or trades, lowering the ability to infer selling pressure or trading signals for Hepp from Fund filings alone .
- Retention risk is hard to gauge: officers are appointed annually and serve until successors are qualified; no employment agreements, severance, or change-of-control terms are disclosed at the Fund level, implying retention dynamics are governed by abrdn’s employment policies rather than Fund contracts .
- Governance/operational role: Hepp’s Product Governance US remit and vice presidency suggest an operational and compliance-centered function rather than portfolio management; this typically has limited direct impact on Fund returns or market signals but is important for regulatory compliance and product oversight .