Kennametal Inc. Appoints Two New Board Members

What Happened
Kennametal Inc. announced on August 18, 2026 that Richard J. Harshman (age 70) and Dawne Hickton (age 68) have been appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors, with their service to begin on September 1, 2026. Each will serve until the Company’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders in October 2026, at which they will be proposed for election. Neither appointee will immediately join Board committees but are expected to be appointed to one or more committees in the coming months.

Key Details

• Appointees: Richard J. Harshman (retired Executive Chairman and former President & CEO of Allegheny Technologies/ATI) and Dawne Hickton (Chair & CEO of Cumberland Additive; former EVP of Jacobs and former CEO of RTI).
• Effective date: September 1, 2026; proposed for election at the October 2026 Annual Meeting.
• Governance/compensation: Both are eligible for the Company’s standard non-employee director compensation (as described in Kennametal’s 2025 definitive proxy) and reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses.
• Legal protections: Each will enter into the Company’s standard Indemnification Agreement (including advancement of expenses); no related-party transactions were reported.

Why It Matters
Kennametal added two experienced industry executives to its Board, bringing leadership backgrounds in specialty materials, aerospace/defense manufacturing, and additive manufacturing. For investors, these appointments affect the company’s governance and oversight — the new directors will be formally proposed for election at the upcoming annual meeting and may influence board committee composition and strategic oversight going forward. The filing confirms standard compensation and indemnification terms and discloses no transactions requiring related-party disclosure.