EX-99.13.C 5 fp0048588_ex9913c.htm

 

Clough  
Capital Partners, lp Procedures
 

 

Procedure Name: Proxy Voting Procedures & Proxy Voting Guidelines
Related Policy: Proxy Voting
Effective Date June 15, 2004, revised September 11, 2019
Responsible Person: Proxy Voting Administrator
Detailed Procedures:

1.0 Proxy Voting in General

 

Proxy votes for client accounts of Clough Capital will be handled by the Proxy Voting Administrator (typically an intern or Co-op), who will coordinate all required proxy votes through ProxyEdge, a Broadridge Financial Solutions product (“Broadridge”), which will be used to vote proxies according to the attached guidelines (Appendix A), prepare the information required in order for ALPS Fund Services (“ALPS”) to make the required filings for the mutual fund, and then store them in ProxyEdge for the required period of time. For issues not addressed by the Proxy Voting Guidelines, or for those issues where a determination is made by one of the persons listed in section 4.0 that a vote according to the established Guidelines would not be in the economic interest of a client account, the Proxy Voting Administrator will refer the matter to the Compliance Committee for resolution.

 

1.1 Use of Proxy Edge for Voting

 

ProxyEdge is an electronic voting service that helps simplify the management of proxies. The system manages the process of meeting notifications, voting, tracking, reporting, and record maintenance. ProxyEdge allows Clough Capital to manage, track, reconcile and report proxy voting through electronic delivery of ballots, online voting, and integrated reporting and recordkeeping to help satisfy SEC requirements. ProxyEdge provides proxy information through an automated electronic interface based on share positions provided directly to Broadridge by the client’s custodian, bank or broker-dealer.

 

2.0 Proxy Voting Administrator

 

The duties of the Administrator will include the following:

•      For new client accounts, confirm that Clough Capital will be voting proxies on the client’s behalf, then contact Broadridge to coordinate an electronic feed of securities holdings from the client’s custodian to ProxyEdge

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Clough  
Capital Partners, lp Procedures
 

 

 

•      Gather any physical proxies sent to Clough Capital for each of the securities held by a client account or fund and double check that they have been voted in ProxyEdge

•      Log on to the Proxy Edge system (www.proxyedge.com) to vote the proxies if they have not been voted

•      Submit proxies that are not addressed in the Guidelines to PM’s/Analysts for their opinion

•      Run a proxy voting record for votes cast for the Clough Capital mutual funds on a quarterly basis to send to ALPS Fund Compliance

•      Run a full year report for the mutual funds at end of each proxy year (July 1st to June 30th) and send to ALPS to complete the Form N-PX for filing with SEC by August 31st (this may also be done by the Senior Compliance/Risk Specialist)

 

3.0 Proxy Voting Record Required

 

The following information must be recorded and saved by ProxyEdge for each proxy vote of each security:

•      Name of the issuer of the portfolio security

•      Exchange ticker symbol of the portfolio security

•      CUSIP for the portfolio security (if available)

•      Shareholder meeting date

•      Brief identification of matter voted on

•      Whether the matter is proposed by issuer or a security holder

•      Whether fund cast its vote on the matter

•      How the fund cast its vote (for/against/abstain)

•      Whether fund cast its vote for or against the management position on the issue

 

This information is required to be filed with the SEC electronically via Form N-PX for all registered investment companies (mutual funds) no later than August 31 for the most recent 12 month period ended June 30. This will be done by the fund’s administrator, ALPS, for the mutual funds sponsored by Clough Capital, but ALPS will need this information from Clough. The information also needs to be sent to ALPS so it is available upon request by shareholders.

 

4.0 Contradiction to Proxy Voting Guidelines

 

For the proxy issues outlined in the attached Proxy Voting Guidelines, the Clough Capital voting position will generally be as listed, and these will be the default votes in ProxyEdge, unless an analyst, trader, or portfolio manager of the firm believes that voting a particular proxy in accordance with the stated guideline would not be in the best economic interests of a client account, in which case that person should bring the matter to the attention of the Proxy Voting Administrator. The Administrator will then refer the matter to the Compliance Committee for resolution, at which time the Administrator can log on to ProxyEdge and over-ride the default voting option, if necessary. Votes in contradiction to the established Proxy Voting Guidelines will be documented in an appropriate memo to file.

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Clough  
Capital Partners, lp Procedures
 

 

 

4.1 Votes on Issues not listed in the Proxy Voting Guidelines

 

If a proxy vote is received and the Proxy Voting Administrator cannot find the particular issue to be voted on the Proxy Voting Guidelines, then the Administrator must summarize the issue and then bring it to the attention of the analyst covering that industry and the relevant portfolio manager for consideration. Once there has been a determination made as to how to vote the issue, the analyst should update the Proxy Voting Guidelines for guidance on future, similar issues.

 

5.0 Record Keeping Requirements

 

Clough Capital must keep accurate books and records, including those relating to proxy voting. The records that must be maintained in accordance with the Record Keeping Policy are listed under Records Produced below. The Proxy Voting Administrator will be responsible for ensuring that the records listed are maintained.

 

Records Produced:

•      Proxy statements received regarding client securities

•      Records of votes cast on behalf of clients (Reports from ProxyEdge)

•      Information gathered for the filing of Form N-PX

•      Form N-PX filed by August 31st of each year for preceding year ended June 30th

•      Records of client requests for proxy voting information, if any are sent to Clough Capital

•      Any documents prepared by Clough Capital that were material to making a decision how to vote or that memorialized the basis for the decision

Evidence of Supervision: On a quarterly basis, the Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) will examine the proxy voting records in ProxyEdge and ensure that all proxies were voted in accordance with the Policy and documented accordingly, including any votes that presented a potential or actual conflict of interest. This information will be supplied to the Fund CCO as part of the Quarterly Compliance Certification.

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Clough  
Capital Partners, lp Procedures
 

 

   
Record Keeping: Records will be maintained for 2 years on site and 3 years offsite, except for records for registered mutual funds, which will be maintained for 2 years on site and 4 years offsite.

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Clough  
Capital Partners, lp Procedures
 

 

Appendix A

Proxy Voting Guidelines

 

For the following proxy issues, the Clough Capital voting position will generally be as listed, unless an analyst, trader, or portfolio manager of the firm believes that voting a particular proxy in accordance with the stated guideline would not be in the best economic interests of a client account, in which case that person should bring the matter to the attention of the Proxy Voting Administrator. The Administrator will then refer the matter to the Compliance Committee for resolution as outlined in the Proxy Voting Procedures.

 

Category of Issue Issue Clough Position Rationale/Reasoning
Board of Directors Election of Directors Support Management Recommendations Where no corporate governance issues are implicated
  Changes in Board of Directors (removals of directors; filling of vacancies; fixing size of board) Support Management Recommendations Management in best position to know if best for company
  Other Issues (e.g. Classified Board; Liability of Board; Qualification of Directors) Generally Support Management Recommendations So long as in best economic interests of clients
Capital Structure Increase in common stock Support Management Recommendations Management in best position to know if best for company
  Reclassification of common stock Support Management Recommendations Management in best position to know if best for company
  Other Issues (e.g. Additional Shares; Stock Splits; Repurchases, etc.) Generally Support Management Recommendations So long as in best economic interests of clients
Corporate Governance Addition or amendment of indemnification provisions in company’s charter or by-laws Support Management Recommendations Management in best position to know if best for company
  Other issues (e.g. Confidential Voting; Cumulative Voting; Supermajority Requirements) Generally Support Management Recommendations So long as in best economic interests of clients
Compensation Compensation of Outside Directors Support Management Recommendations Management in best position to know if best for company
  Other Issues (e.g. Executive/Director stock option plans; Employee Stock Option Plans; Option Expensing) Generally Support Management Recommendations So long as in best economic interests of clients

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Clough  
Capital Partners, lp Procedures
 

 

       
Anti-Takeover Provisions Shareholder rights plans (“Poison Pills”) (shareholder approval of or ratification of these types of plans) Generally Support Management Recommendations So long as in best economic interests of clients
  Other Issues (e.g. Reincorporation plans; Fair-Price Proposals, etc.) Generally Support Management Recommendations So long as in best economic interests of clients
Mergers & Acquisitions Special corporate transactions (takeovers; spin-offs; sales of assets; reorganizations; restructurings; recapitalizations) Generally Support Management Recommendations So long as in best economic interests of clients
Social & Political Issues Labor & human rights (global codes of conduct; workplace standards) Generally Support Management Recommendations Generally best not to impose these issues from the outside
  Other Issues (e.g. Environmental issues; Diversity & Equality; Health & Safety; Government/Military) Support Management Recommendation Generally best not to impose these issues from the outside
Miscellaneous Items Selection of Independent Auditors Support Management recommendation Management in best position to know if best for company
  Other Issues (e.g. Limitation of non-audit services provided by independent auditors; Audit Firm Rotation; Bundled Proposals, etc.) Generally Support Management Recommendations So long as in best economic interests of clients

 

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