Rossi has decided to retire after nearly seven years as CEO, effective 31 May 2024.
“On behalf of the entire board, I want to thank Chris for his many contributions to Kennametal and congratulate Sanjay on his well-deserved appointment as CEO," said William M Lambert, chairman of the board. "Chris is leaving the company better than he found it, having successfully executed the company's Simplification/Modernization strategy, which improved the efficiency and customer service level of its factories while enabling the manufacturing of new product innovations. In addition, Chris led the company through the challenges of COVID-19, drove a significant and lasting cultural transformation and improved the underlying performance of the business."
Rossi said: "While difficult to say goodbye to this great company and our employees around the world, it is the right time for me personally to make this transition, especially knowing that I leave Kennametal under the very capable leadership of my planned successor Sanjay."
Chowbey joined Kennametal in 2021 as president of the Metal Cutting segment. Under his leadership the business has grown its customer base, consistently delivered sales growth, expanded its operating margins, launched more than 20 new products and improved employee engagement.
He has more than 20 years of experience at various industrial companies, including Flowserve Corporation, Danaher and Arvin Meritor Inc. In his most recent role before Kennametal, he was president of the US$1.2 billion Services & Solutions business at Flowserve.
“I am honored and excited to serve as the next CEO of Kennametal,” said Chowbey. "We have a proud 86-year legacy of helping customers make products that touch everyday life and enable people to drive, fly, power and build. We have extraordinary employees who are focused on serving stakeholders around the world and working to do things better than we did the day before. I look forward to accelerating our transformational journey to create shareholder value through growth, margin expansion and a balanced capital allocation strategy."
Chowbey earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Tennessee Tech University and Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from BIT in Sindri, India.
