Kevin Wheeler retiring as Executive Chairman; CEO Stephen Shafer to become Chairman

SMITH A O CORP

Kevin Wheeler retires as Executive Chairman effective July 1, 2026; remains on board.
Stephen Shafer (President and CEO) appointed Chairman effective same date.
Shafer joined A. O. Smith in 2024 as President/COO, became CEO July 2025; now adds Chairman role.
Wheeler's tenure spanned three decades; company expanded globally and navigated COVID-19.

item 5.02 item 9.01

Executive movements

Machine-extracted from this filing. Every card cites the SEC source. See all recent executive movements.

Departed

Kevin J. Wheeler

Executive Chairman

AOS · SMITH A O CORP

Effective: 2026-07-01
Successor: Stephen M. Shafer
Filed: June 22, 2026, 5:01 PM ET

Kevin J. Wheeler will retire as Executive Chairman of the Company.

Appointed

Stephen M. Shafer

Chairman

AOS · SMITH A O CORP

Effective: 2026-07-01
Filed: June 22, 2026, 5:01 PM ET

Stephen M. Shafer will assume the role of Chairman of the Company.

Key facts

Extracted from this filing and checked against the source text.

Executive change SEC 8-K Item 5.02 confidence 1.0

Kevin J. Wheeler departed as Executive Chairman at SMITH A O CORP.

Action: retire
Role: Executive Chairman

Exact text from the filing

Kevin J. Wheeler will retire as Executive Chairman of the Company.

View on SEC.gov

Executive change SEC 8-K Item 5.02 confidence 1.0

Stephen M. Shafer was appointed as Chairman at SMITH A O CORP.

Action: appointed
Role: Chairman

Exact text from the filing

Stephen M. Shafer will assume the role of Chairman of the Company.

View on SEC.gov

SMITH A O CORP filing history →

Source: SEC EDGAR

accession 0000091142-26-000091

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