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Kennametal Honors 2026 STEP Ahead Award Winner from the Manufacturing Institute

  • Kennametal Inc. announced that Ellen Whittingham, Vice President, Strategic Talent Enablement, is a 2026 STEP Ahead Award Honoree by The Manufacturing Institute.
  • The awards recognize leadership, expertise, & commitment to building stronger workplaces & communities, with Whittingham joining 145 other honorees.
  • Whittingham joins 18 other Kennametal employees who have received STEP Ahead Awards in prior years.
  • Kennametal President & CEO Sanjay Chowbey praised Whittingham for her positive impact on company culture, talent development, & community accountability.
  • Whittingham brings over two decades of manufacturing & operations experience, plus 15+ years in human resources, to her role.
  • She has led organizational design transformations, shifted performance management, & strengthened talent development programs across multiple companies.
  • At Kennametal, Whittingham launched employee resource groups & strengthened engagement, succession planning, & talent development initiatives.
  • She has supported a nonprofit providing counseling to young people for over six years, helping develop talent pipelines & expand into new communities.
  • Kennametal serves customers in nearly 100 countries with approximately 8,100 employees & generated nearly $2 billion in fiscal 2025 revenue.
  • The Manufacturing Institute works to strengthen the manufacturing workforce through research, industry initiatives, & public policy promotion.