Maria Premole
About Maria Premole
Maria Premole (age 63) serves as Vice President of The Taiwan Fund, Inc. and is an employee of Nomura Asset Management U.S.A. Inc.; she has been an officer of the Fund since 2022 and was formally appointed Vice President on October 18, 2022 . Her current responsibilities at Nomura include Vice President/Head of Closed‑End Fund Business Development (since 2023), and previously Vice President/Head of U.S. Business Strategy in Institutional Business Development and Latin America (since 2019) . The Fund’s proxy filings do not disclose individual executive performance metrics (e.g., TSR, revenue, EBITDA) tied to Premole; officers who are employees of the Adviser serve without compensation from the Fund, with salaries and expenses paid by Nomura under the advisory agreement .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Taiwan Fund, Inc. | Vice President | Appointed Oct 18, 2022; serving since 2022 | Officer of the Fund |
| Nomura Asset Management U.S.A. Inc. | VP/Head of Closed‑End Fund Business Development | Since 2023 | Closed‑end fund business development leadership |
| Nomura Asset Management U.S.A. Inc. | VP/Head of U.S. Business Strategy in Institutional BD & Latin America | Since 2019 | Institutional and Latin America business strategy |
| Nomura Asset Management U.S.A. Inc. | Vice President | 2013–present (2024 proxy) ; 2008–present (2025 proxy) | Vice President role at Adviser |
External Roles
No external public company directorships or board roles are disclosed for Premole in the Fund’s proxy statements reviewed .
Fixed Compensation
Premole’s compensation is not paid by the Fund and is not disclosed in the Fund’s proxy statements; under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser (Nomura) pays the salaries and expenses of Fund officers who are employees of the Adviser.
| Component | Paid by Fund? | Disclosed Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base salary | No | Not disclosed | Salaries and expenses of officers who are Nomura employees are paid by Nomura |
| Target bonus % | No | Not disclosed | Not disclosed in Fund filings; compensation governed by Nomura |
| Actual bonus | No | Not disclosed | Not disclosed in Fund filings |
| Cash paid by Fund | No | N/A | Officers serve without compensation from the Fund |
Performance Compensation
The Fund does not disclose performance‑based compensation metrics, equity awards, or vesting schedules for officers who are employees of Nomura; such compensation, if any, would be within Nomura’s employment arrangements and is not reported by the Fund.
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not disclosed in Fund filings for officers paid by Adviser | — | — | — | — | — |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Category | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership of TWN shares (officers) | Not disclosed | Proxy “Ownership of Securities” tables provide director ranges; officer holdings are not listed |
| Ownership as % of shares outstanding | Not calculable | Shares outstanding were 6,393,874 as of Feb 18, 2025 record date; officer holdings not disclosed |
| Vested vs unvested shares; options | Not disclosed | No executive equity award disclosures for officers |
| Shares pledged/hedging by officers | Not disclosed | No pledging/hedging policy disclosures for officers found in proxies reviewed |
| Stock ownership guidelines (officers) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed in proxy statements |
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Fund officer appointment | Appointed Vice President on Oct 18, 2022; serving since 2022 |
| Employer | Nomura Asset Management U.S.A. Inc. |
| Compensation payer | Adviser (Nomura) pays salaries/expenses of officers who are Nomura employees; officers serve without compensation from the Fund |
| Contract term; severance/change‑of‑control | Not disclosed for officers in Fund filings |
| Non‑compete/non‑solicit; garden leave | Not disclosed |
| Clawbacks; tax gross‑ups; perquisites | Not disclosed |
Investment Implications
- Pay‑for‑performance visibility is limited: as a Fund officer employed by Nomura, Premole’s compensation is not tied to Fund‑reported metrics and is not disclosed by the Fund; this reduces direct alignment signals for TWN shareholders from executive pay disclosures .
- Insider selling pressure and ownership alignment cannot be assessed: officer beneficial holdings, pledging/hedging, and ownership guidelines are not disclosed for officers, constraining “skin‑in‑the‑game” analysis and trading signal inference .
- Retention risk is primarily Adviser‑driven: since salaries/expenses are paid by Nomura under the advisory agreement, retention and incentives are governed by Nomura’s internal policies rather than Fund‑level contracts; any transition risk would likely manifest via changes in the Adviser relationship rather than Fund officer compensation mechanics .
- Role relevance: Premole’s disclosed responsibilities are business‑development oriented (closed‑end fund BD, institutional strategy/Latin America), not portfolio management; her impact on investment outcomes appears indirect, with investment decisions performed by the Adviser under Board oversight .