Kate Suhadolnik
About Kate Suhadolnik
Kate Suhadolnik is Interim Chief Financial Officer (principal financial and accounting officer) of ESS Tech, Inc. (GWH) effective August 1, 2025. She is 36, a CPA, and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration from Gonzaga University; prior roles include Controller (Apr 2023–Aug 2025), Assistant Controller (Sep 2022–Apr 2023), and SEC Reporting Manager (Sep 2021–Sep 2022), with earlier experience at The Standard (2020–2021) and Deloitte (2011–2020) . Company fundamentals during her tenure reflect a volatile revenue base and improving (but still negative) EBITDA; see table below (values in USD). Revenues citations reflect company filings; EBITDA values marked with an asterisk are retrieved from S&P Global.
| Metric | Q4 2024 | Q1 2025 | Q2 2025 | Q3 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | $2,850,000 | $599,000 | $2,358,000 | $214,000 |
| EBITDA | -$22,075,000* | -$16,606,000* | -$10,012,000* | -$8,325,000* |
Values retrieved from S&P Global for EBITDA.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESS Tech, Inc. | Interim Chief Financial Officer (PFO/PAO) | Aug 2025–present | Principal financial and accounting officer; oversight of SEC reporting and finance . |
| ESS Tech, Inc. | Controller | Apr 2023–Aug 2025 | Oversaw financial operations and managed accounting functions and internal controls . |
| ESS Tech, Inc. | Assistant Controller | Sep 2022–Apr 2023 | Supported accounting functions and internal controls . |
| ESS Tech, Inc. | SEC Reporting Manager | Sep 2021–Sep 2022 | Oversaw SEC reporting matters . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Standard (insurance/financial services) | Corporate Accounting & Reporting Manager | Jul 2020–Sep 2021 | Corporate accounting and external reporting . |
| Deloitte & Touche LLP | Various positions of increasing responsibility | Sep 2011–Jun 2020 | Progressive audit/finance responsibilities (as disclosed) . |
Fixed Compensation
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Base Salary | $220,000 annualized, effective Aug 1, 2025 . |
| Target Bonus % | Not disclosed; eligible for annual cash and stock performance bonus . |
| Actual Bonus Paid (most recent) | Not disclosed for Ms. Suhadolnik; no specific payout reported in filings reviewed -. |
Performance Compensation
No Kate-specific equity award grants, option awards, or PSU/RSU metrics were disclosed in the 2025 proxy or the Aug 1, 2025 8-K. The company’s program comprises salary, cash bonuses, and stock awards, with NEO 2024 bonuses assessed against technology, engineering, product development, operations/manufacturing, business development/sales, and finance goals; for context, the prior CFO (Rabb) received a $176,323 2024 bonus based on these corporate goals . No performance weighting/targets specific to Ms. Suhadolnik were disclosed -.
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Individual beneficial ownership (Kate Suhadolnik) | Not individually listed in the 2025 beneficial ownership table; the table covers named executive officers and directors as of Aug 31, 2025 . |
| Group ownership (all directors and executive officers) | 253,270 shares, 1.7% of outstanding as of Aug 31, 2025 . |
| Hedging/derivatives | Prohibited for employees and directors (short sales, options, swaps, collars, exchange funds, etc.) . |
| Pledging/margin | Pledging and holding securities in margin accounts are prohibited . |
| Clawback | Compensation Recovery Policy adopted Nov 2023; non-discretionary recovery of excess incentive-based pay upon any accounting restatement (fault not required) per SEC/NYSE rules . |
| Stock ownership guidelines (executives) | Not disclosed in the 2025 proxy -. |
Employment Terms
| Term | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Appointment | Interim Chief Financial Officer effective Aug 1, 2025 . |
| Employment nature | At-will . |
| Base salary | $220,000 annualized . |
| Bonus eligibility | Eligible for annual cash and stock performance bonus; amounts/targets not disclosed . |
| Indemnification | Company indemnification agreement (form previously filed Oct 15, 2021) . |
| Family relationships | None with any director/executive officer . |
| Related-party transactions | None requiring disclosure under Item 404(a) . |
| Appointment arrangements/understandings | None; no arrangements with other persons in connection with appointment . |
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance alignment safeguards: Prohibitions on pledging/hedging and a Dodd-Frank-compliant clawback reduce misalignment and opportunistic trading risk; these policies are strong governance positives in compensation risk assessments .
- Retention and overhang: Ms. Suhadolnik’s compensation is lean (base $220k) with bonus eligibility but no disclosed severance/CIC terms; absence of disclosed individual equity grants limits immediate insider-selling pressure but offers less visibility into long-term ownership alignment—monitor future RSU/PSU grants and Forms 4 for signal on retention/overhang - .
- Near-term execution context: Company fundamentals over the last four reported quarters show small, volatile revenues and negative EBITDA, underscoring execution risk in finance and operations during her interim tenure; stabilization/improvement in EBITDA and order conversion would be constructive signals for incentive outcomes .
- Governance/process: Compensation decisions are overseen by an independent committee; Pearl Meyer is the longstanding consultant with independence assessed—suggests a structured approach to upcoming CFO pay design (useful to watch for shifts toward RSUs vs. options and metric selection) .
Notes:
- Revenues cited from company filings; EBITDA values marked with an asterisk are retrieved from S&P Global.
- No Kate-specific equity grant details, vesting schedules, or ownership amounts were disclosed in the 2025 proxy or Aug 1, 2025 8-K; continue to monitor subsequent proxies and Section 16 filings for updates .