A Seat at the Table

Trust for Professional Managers chair values diversity, strong relationships

By Hillary Jackson

When Erik Olstein was named the first-ever independent chairman of Trust for Professional Managers this spring, he took leadership of "a really good, diverse team of different experiences and backgrounds." Diversity of perspective in the boardroom is important to Olstein, as are strong—and deep—working relationships among board members, counsel, and ... >> CONTINUE READING <<<

Cooking, breaking bread builds Heartland Funds board-advisor relations

By Hillary Jackson

Members of the Heartland Funds board and Heartland Advisors management team spent a recent evening together sharing a meal. Of course it's not unusual for independent directors and members of management to break bread together over dinner during a multi-day board meeting. But in this case, the participants actually cooked ... >> CONTINUE READING <<<

Fund, board in place for new US Bank CEF series trust-like offering

By Hillary Jackson

U.S. Bank Global Fund Services has added a new multiple-series trust-like offering to its suite of products, this one designed for investment managers to more easily launch alternative investment products through registered closed-end funds—primarily tender-offer and interval funds. The CEF Accelerator Platform provides legal, audit, distribution, and governance services to ... >> CONTINUE READING <<<

Intentional Change: Lord Abbett Funds' approach to leadership, oversight

By Hillary Jackson

The Lord Abbett Funds board has done a lot of heavy lifting in the past few years, hiring new members, overhauling governance practices, and installing new leadership. The result, according to independent Chair Eve Guernsey, is a diverse group of professionals who are well positioned to take on whatever challenges ... >> CONTINUE READING <<<

Guinness Atkinson Funds board repopulates, adds flexibility

By Hillary Jackson

Guinness Atkinson Funds has added two new independent directors to bump the size of the board back up to six members following the year-end retirement of Susan Penry-Williams and a 2019 retirement. The larger size allows for flexibility in the case of an unplanned retirement or resignation, but Vice Chairman ... >> CONTINUE READING <<<

VAT board evolves in 2024, preps for additional remit in '25

By Hillary Jackson

The Valued Advisers Trust board was enlarged earlier this year and transitioned to an all-independent membership, and now the four directors are poised to take on oversight of a mutual fund trust that will run side-by-side to their series trust responsibilities, according to Chair Andi Mullins. CRM Mutual Fund Trust ... >> CONTINUE READING <<<