Christopher O. Petersen
About Christopher O. Petersen
Christopher O. Petersen (year of birth: 1970) serves as Senior Vice President and Assistant Secretary of Tri-Continental Corporation (TY) and related Columbia funds; he has been an officer within the Columbia Funds Complex since 2007 and in his current TY officer role since 2021 . He is Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (since September 2021), and previously served as Vice President and Lead Chief Counsel (January 2015–September 2021) . Petersen was formerly President and Principal Executive Officer of the Columbia Funds (2015–2021) . TY is externally managed by Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC (Ameriprise subsidiary); the Board oversees the Manager’s performance and fund operations, and TY’s proxies do not disclose individual officer pay/performance metrics or incentive frameworks for Manager-employed officers .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ameriprise Financial, Inc. | Senior Vice President & Assistant General Counsel | Since Sep 2021 | Senior legal leadership for global asset management; supports fund governance and compliance |
| Ameriprise Financial, Inc. | Vice President & Lead Chief Counsel | Jan 2015–Sep 2021 | Led legal oversight; advanced governance and regulatory execution across funds |
| Columbia Funds (Columbia Threadneedle) | President & Principal Executive Officer | 2015–2021 | Executive leadership for mutual fund complex; operational and fiduciary responsibilities |
| Columbia Funds Complex | Officer (various funds) | Since 2007 | Long-tenured officer across affiliated funds indicating deep institutional knowledge |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Funds Complex | Trustee/Director (selected funds) | Jul 1, 2020–Nov 22, 2021 | Provided board-level oversight across funds; enhanced governance continuity |
Fixed Compensation
- TY pays no compensation to officers who are employees of the external Manager or its affiliates (except that a portion of the CCO’s compensation is paid by funds); individual officer salary/bonus/benefits are not disclosed in TY filings .
- Board cash compensation disclosed applies to independent Directors, not to Manager-employed officers like Petersen .
Performance Compensation
- TY proxies do not disclose performance-based pay elements (RSUs/PSUs/options, metric weightings, vesting schedules, or payout curves) for Manager-employed officers; no executive scorecard (e.g., revenue, EBITDA, TSR, ESG) is provided for Petersen .
- TY’s governance framework emphasizes Board oversight of the Manager’s investment/advisory services and risk management rather than disclosing individual officer incentive structures .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Value | As Of |
|---|---|---|
| Directors and officers (group) beneficial ownership of TY common stock | Less than 1% | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Directors and officers (group) ownership of TY preferred stock | 0 shares | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Individual officer (Petersen) beneficial ownership details | Not disclosed in TY proxy | N/A |
- TY proxies do not disclose any pledging/hedging practices for Petersen; the beneficial ownership section provides director ranges and a group figure only .
- Section 16 note references a late Form 4 for a director (Carrig) in 2023; no Form 4 activity is referenced for Petersen in TY proxies .
Employment Terms
- Officers are elected by the Board and serve at the pleasure of the Board; officers serve until successors are elected and qualify or earlier resignation .
- No employment agreements, severance, change-of-control (single/double trigger), non-compete/non-solicit, clawbacks, or tax gross-up terms are disclosed for Petersen in TY filings .
Investment Implications
- Compensation alignment: As a Manager-employed officer with no TY-paid compensation disclosed, direct pay-for-performance linkage to TY shareholder outcomes is opaque; incentive structures (if any) reside at Ameriprise/Columbia and are not reported in TY filings, reducing visibility into alignment and potential selling/vesting pressures .
- Retention risk: Long tenure within the Columbia Funds Complex (officer since 2007; executive roles since 2015) suggests institutional embeddedness and lower immediate retention risk, though specific retention mechanisms are not disclosed .
- Trading signals: With officer-level holdings not individually disclosed and no proxy-referenced Form 4 activity for Petersen, near-term insider selling pressure and option-related overhangs cannot be assessed from TY documents .
- Governance context: TY’s externally managed structure and Board-centric oversight of the Manager’s performance and risk controls place emphasis on fund-level outcomes rather than officer incentive disclosure; investors should focus on Manager performance, fee structures, and Board oversight effectiveness for alignment proxies .