ESS Tech, Inc. Announces Employment Agreements for CFO and CSO/GC

What Happened

• ESS Tech, Inc. (filed 8‑K) announced that on August 28, 2026 it entered into employment agreements with its Chief Financial Officer Kate Suhadolnik and its Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel Kelly F. Goodman. The agreements do not change their titles, roles, or annual cash‑bonus eligibility.

Key Details

• Base salary: each executive will receive $380,000 per year.
• Severance on certain terminations around a Change in Control (the “CIC Protective Period”): if terminated by the company (other than for Cause), due to disability or death, or if the executive resigns for Good Reason during the CIC Protective Period (one month before through 12 months after a Change in Control), they receive:
  • 12 months of then‑current base salary;
  • COBRA continuation premium payments for the executive and covered dependents for 12 months; and
  • full acceleration of then‑unvested and outstanding equity awards.
• Agreements include customary confidentiality, non‑solicit and non‑competition covenants. Full text of the agreements will be filed with the Company’s Form 10‑Q for the quarter ending September 30, 2026.

Why It Matters

• These agreements formalize compensation and change‑in‑control protection for two senior executives (CFO and Chief Strategy Officer/GC). The severance and equity acceleration terms are important to investors because they affect potential post‑change‑of‑control costs and how executive incentives would behave in a sale or other change‑of‑control scenario. The filing does not indicate any change in responsibilities or bonus eligibility for the executives.