Danielle Cupps
About Danielle Cupps
Independent Trustee of XAI Octagon Floating Rate & Alternative Income Trust (XFLT) since 2017; Year of birth: 1970. Background spans private equity (Code Hennessy & Simmons; Kinzie Capital Partners), family office investing (BLG Capital Advisors), corporate finance/strategy at Boeing, and digital/CEO communications at McDonald’s, positioning her with finance, regulatory, and investment oversight experience for a credit-focused closed-end fund .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonald’s Corporation | Director, Digital Customer Engagement (also described as CEO & Financial Communications in qualifications) | 2019–2022 | Digital/customer engagement; corporate communications exposure relevant to stakeholder and disclosure oversight |
| Kinzie Capital Partners (PE) | Managing Director | 2018 | Private equity investment experience; deal/portfolio oversight |
| BLG Capital Advisors (Family Office) | Managing Director | 2016–2018 | Global alternative assets portfolio management |
| Boeing Company | Director, Finance; Chief of Staff to CFO; Corporate & Strategic Development roles | 2006–2012 | Finance, strategic development, CFO office process/control exposure |
| Code Hennessy & Simmons LLC (PE) | Vice President | 2000–2005 | PE investing; transaction diligence/governance |
| Goldman, Sachs & Co. | Associate, Private Equity Funds Group | 1998–2000 | Fund diligence and capital raising exposure |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No other public company directorships reported in past five years |
Board Governance
- Independence and tenure: Listed as an Independent Trustee; Trustee since 2017 .
- Committees: Member, Audit Committee; Member, Governance Committee (both committees comprise only Independent Trustees) .
- Committee chair roles: Not a chair (Audit Chair: Scott Craven Jones; Governance Chair: Philip G. Franklin; Board Chair: Gregory G. Dingens) .
- Board structure: Independent chair; supermajority independent; committees limited to Independent Trustees; independent legal counsel; regular executive sessions (“regularly meet outside the presence of Trust management”) .
- Meeting cadence and attendance indicators: FY2024—Board: 6 meetings; Audit: 4; Governance: 2; all Trustees attended the 2024 annual shareholder meeting .
Fixed Compensation
| Period/Policy | Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY ended Sep 30, 2024 | Aggregate compensation from Trust | $50,000 | Reported for Danielle Cupps |
| Effective Jan 1, 2025 (structure) | Annual trustee retainer | $66,000 | Applies to trustees excluding those employed by the Adviser/affiliates; allocated across fund complex by managed assets |
| Effective Jan 1, 2025 (structure) | Audit Committee Chair fee (additional) | $17,500 | Not applicable to Cupps (not chair) |
| Effective Jan 1, 2025 (structure) | Board Chair fee (additional) | $10,000 | Not applicable to Cupps |
| Effective Jan 1, 2025 (structure) | Nominating & Governance Chair fee (additional) | $5,000 | Not applicable to Cupps |
| Ongoing | Pension/retirement accrual | None | The Trust does not accrue or pay retirement or pension benefits to Trustees |
Performance Compensation
- The proxy discloses director compensation as fixed retainers and additional chair fees; no equity awards, options, bonuses, or performance-based metrics are reported for trustees. Compensation tables list cash compensation only, and the 2025 policy enumerates retainers/fees without performance linkage .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None reported |
| Prior public company boards (past 5 years) | None reported |
| Potential interlocks with XFLT competitors/suppliers/customers | None indicated in proxy disclosures |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Finance, regulatory, and investment matters experience per Board’s qualifications section, grounded in roles at McDonald’s (communications), Kinzie Capital (PE), BLG Capital (family office alternatives), Boeing (finance/strategy), Code Hennessy & Simmons (PE), and Goldman Sachs (PE funds group) .
- Board cites criteria including availability, educational/professional background, financial expertise, and ability to engage critically with Adviser/Sub-Adviser and service providers .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Owned | % Outstanding | Dollar Range in Trust | Aggregate Dollar Range Across Family | Record Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danielle Cupps | 30,000 | <1% | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | Dec 31, 2024 |
- As of the same date, Trustees and officers as a group held approximately 1.8% of outstanding common shares .
- No disclosure of pledging or hedging by Ms. Cupps; proxy does not indicate such arrangements for her .
Governance Assessment
- Independence and committee influence: Cupps is an Independent Trustee serving on both key committees (Audit and Governance), supporting oversight of financial reporting and board composition; committee membership is limited to Independent Trustees, reinforcing independent oversight .
- Engagement signals: Board/committee meeting cadence is robust for a closed-end fund, and all Trustees attended the 2024 annual meeting; the Board also holds executive sessions outside management’s presence, indicating healthy governance practices .
- Pay structure and alignment: Director pay is straightforward and cash-based with transparent retainers; policy increased to $66,000 effective 2025. Cupps’ personal holding of 30,000 shares (>$100k) indicates meaningful skin-in-the-game for a fund trustee .
- Conflicts/related-party exposure: Listed as independent with no other public directorships in past five years; no related-party issues disclosed in her bio or trustee tables .
- Compliance: Section 16(a) reporting noted as timely for applicable persons in FY2024, reducing regulatory risk signals .
RED FLAGS: None surfaced in the proxy regarding Cupps—no attendance shortfalls disclosed, no related-party transactions, no pledging, and compensation appears standard for an independent trustee .