Four John Hancock Credit Funds Elect Kristie Feinberg and Frances Rathke To Their Boards As New Trustees
The board additions coincide with the resignation of a sitting trustee and the planned year-end retirement of another.
June 22, 2026
Four credit-focused funds in the John Hancock and Manulife lineup have added two new trustees following a shareholder vote, while two longtime board members prepare to step away.
The changes apply to four funds:
- John Hancock CQS Asset Backed Securities Fund
- John Hancock CQS Multi Asset Credit Fund
- John Hancock Marathon Asset-Based Lending Fund
- Manulife Private Credit Plus Fund
At a shareholder meeting held June 18, 2026, investors in each fund elected Kristie M. Feinberg as a Non-Independent Trustee and Frances G. Rathke as an Independent Trustee, with both appointments effective June 22, 2026.
Two departures accompany the additions
The new arrivals coincide with two exits from the boards. Andrew G. Arnott steps down as a Non-Independent Trustee as the appointments take effect, and references to him are being removed from the funds’ governance disclosures. Grace K. Fey is expected to retire as an Independent Trustee at the end of 2026, at which point she will likewise no longer be listed as a sitting board member.
Feinberg brings firmwide leadership experience
Feinberg joins the boards already holding senior roles across the John Hancock complex. She is president and chief executive of various John Hancock trusts and leads retail distribution at Manulife Investment Management. Her earlier finance leadership posts span Manulife, Invesco, and Oppenheimer Funds, including treasury and strategy roles. Her ties to the funds’ advisor and its affiliates make her a non-independent member of the board, and she oversees 176 funds across the wider complex.
Rathke adds audit and finance depth
Rathke arrives with a corporate finance and auditing background. She was chief financial officer and treasurer of Keurig Green Mountain until retiring in 2015 and is a former certified public accountant. Her current directorships include audit committee leadership at Oatly Group, Green Mountain Power, and Planet Fitness, plus a seat on the board of the Flynn Center for Performing Arts. She has served as a John Hancock trustee since 2020 and, like Feinberg, oversees 176 funds.
The update reached investors as a supplement to each fund’s statement of additional information, which the funds advise shareholders to keep on hand for future reference.
