Mr. Sievwright is an independent non-executive director, the Chair of the Board of Directors and the Chair of the Compensation Committee. He has served as a director on the Board of Directors since May 2020. Mr. Sievwright is the former Chief Operating Officer, International, of Merrill Lynch and had a 20-year career with Merrill Lynch with a range of global leadership positions, including Chief Operating Officer, Global Markets and Investment Banking; President and Chief Operating Officer, Merrill Lynch Japan; and Head of Global Futures and Options (during which time he also served as the President of the Futures Industry Association). Prior to Merrill Lynch, Mr. Sievwright held finance and accounting functions at Bankers Trust and the Bank of Tokyo. He began his career as an auditor at Ernst & Young LLP and qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Mr. Sievwright serves as a trustee and the chair of the audit committee for several Abrdn closed end funds and an Abrdn open end fund. He also serves as a non-executive director and the chair of the risk committee of Revolut Group Holdings Ltd (d/b/a as Revolut), a neobank and fintech company that offers banking services for individuals and businesses, and as the chair of the board of directors of Buyside Trading Solutions, a financial services company. Mr. Sievwright has previously served as the senior independent director and the chair of the audit and risk committee at ICAP plc (now NEX Group plc) and the senior independent director and the chair of the audit committee of FirstGroup plc. He has an MA in accountancy and economics from the University of Aberdeen. Mr. Sievwright s extensive business experience and leadership roles at banks and financial services companies make him a valuable member of the Board of Directors.