Kennametal Names Patrick Watson To Succeed Damon Audia As CFO

(RTTNews) - Industrial technology firm Kennametal Inc. (KMT) announced Wednesday that Patrick Watson, currently Vice President Finance and Corporate Controller, will assume the role of Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective immediately.

Watson succeeds Damon Audia, who has served as CFO since September 2018 and is leaving the Company after a short transition period to pursue another opportunity.

Watson will also serve as a member of the Company's Executive Leadership Team, reporting to President and CEO Christopher Rossi.

Watson will play a critical role in advancing the Company's strategy and will be responsible for leading the Company's finance, investor relations, information technology and sourcing functions.

He has spent the last 18 years in leadership roles of increasing responsibility in global finance, M&A and supply chain. He also brings more than 25 years of global finance and business experience to the CFO role.

Watson is currently Vice President and Corporate Controller and will continue in that role until that position is filled. Watson's tenure at Kennametal also includes serving as finance lead for both business segments and the EMEA region as well as M&A and supply chain roles. Prior to Kennametal, he held financial and supply chain roles at Allegheny Energy, Inc. and Eckerd Corp.