UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): July 31, 2014
SPDR® GOLD TRUST
SPONSORED BY WORLD GOLD TRUST SERVICES, LLC
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| New York | 001-32356 | 81-6124035 | ||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) |
(IRS Employer Identification No.) |
c/o World Gold Trust Services, LLC
510 Madison Avenue, 9th Floor
New York, New York 10022
(Address of principal executive offices; zip code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (212) 317-3800
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report):
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| ¨ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ¨ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
| ITEM 8.01 | OTHER EVENTS. |
On July 31, 2014, Kevin Feldman resigned as Chief Executive Officer of World Gold Trust Services, LLC (“WGTS”), the sponsor of the SPDR® Gold Trust (the “Trust”), effective as of August 15, 2014. Mr. Feldman’s resignation was a personal decision and was not as a result of any CEO or WGTS performance-related issue or any other matters related to the operations, policies or practices of the Trust.
On July 31, 2014, the Board of Directors of WGTS (the “Board”) appointed Aram Shishmanian, Executive Director of WGTS, to serve as the Acting Chief Executive Officer of WGTS effective the date of Mr. Feldman’s departure.
Mr. Shishmanian, age 63, has been a member of the Board since it was established in January 2013. Mr. Shishmanian has served as Chief Executive Officer of the World Gold Council, the ultimate parent of WGTS, since January 2009. He was previously employed by Accenture plc, a multinational management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. During his 27 years at Accenture and its predecessor companies from 1975 to 2003, Mr. Shishmanian held a number of leadership roles, including Global Managing Partner of the financial markets industry practice, before becoming a senior partner. He has previously served as a Non-Executive Director of Resolution plc, the Senior Non-Executive Director of Victoria plc, a Non-Executive Director of a Swiss based asset-management company and several other companies. Prior to joining the World Gold Council, from 2005 to 2010, he was an independent member of the International Executive of Hogan Lovells LLP, one of the leading global law firms. He holds a BA in Economics and an MBA.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
| Date: August 1, 2014 | SPDR® GOLD TRUST | |||||
| (Registrant)* | ||||||
| By: | World Gold Trust Services, LLC | |||||
| as the Sponsor of the Registrant | ||||||
| By: | /s/ John Adrian Pound | |||||
| Name: | John Adrian Pound | |||||
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |||||
| * | As the Registrant is a trust, this report is being filed on behalf of the Registrant by World Gold Trust Services, LLC, only in its capacity as the sponsor of the Registrant. The identified person signing this report is signing in their capacity as an authorized officer of World Gold Trust Services, LLC. |