Why This Matters to Distributors: MSC Industrial is installing a permanent chief financial officer after 13 months with an interim finance chief, bringing in a veteran executive with more than 30 years of experience and a background in capital allocation, acquisitions, and industrial distribution.
MSC Industrial Supply Co. has hired TopBuild Corp. veteran Robert “Rob” Kuhns as executive vice president and chief financial officer, ending a 13-month period in which the industrial distributor operated with an interim CFO.
Kuhns, 52, will take over Sept. 14 and report to MSC President and CEO Martina McIsaac. Greg Clark, who has served as interim CFO since August 2025, will remain with the company as vice president of finance and corporate controller.
Kuhns joins MSC after serving as vice president and CFO of TopBuild from March 2022 until QXO Inc. acquired the insulation and building products company in July. He previously served as TopBuild’s vice president and controller from July 2018 to March 2022.
MSC said Kuhns helped drive TopBuild’s market capitalization from $6 billion to $14 billion through capital allocation, strategic acquisitions, and operational execution.
“We are very much looking forward to welcoming Rob to the MSC leadership team as our new CFO,” McIsaac said. “He is an accomplished leader with deep knowledge of financial strategy and a proven track record of delivering profitable growth.”
McIsaac said Kuhns’ financial leadership and experience in industrial and distribution businesses will be important as MSC advances its strategy and works toward its long-term financial targets.
Before joining TopBuild, Kuhns held finance positions at Mohawk Industries, NCH Corp., and Ingersoll Rand. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Shippensburg University and a master’s degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University.
Kuhns will be based at MSC’s corporate office in Davidson, North Carolina. MSC disclosed Kuhns’ compensation package in a Sept. 8 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and an Aug. 19 employment offer filed as an exhibit.
Kuhns will receive a $650,000 annual base salary. For fiscal 2027, he will be eligible for an annual incentive bonus targeted at 85% of his base salary, or $552,500, and an annual equity award with a target value of $1.5 million.
His offer letter says MSC currently structures the annual equity award as 50% performance stock units with a three-year cliff vesting schedule and 50% restricted stock units that vest 25% annually over four years.
Kuhns also will receive a separate $1.5 million sign-on grant of restricted stock units, according to MSC’s SEC filing. The award will vest in equal installments over four years, provided he remains employed by MSC on each vesting date.
The offer letter says the annual bonus and equity grant are not guaranteed and are based on company and individual performance and board approval.
At the stated targets, Kuhns’ $650,000 salary, $552,500 target annual incentive, and $1.5 million annual equity target amount to about $2.7 million for fiscal 2027, excluding the separate sign-on award and other benefits.
Kuhns also is eligible for an executive-level leased company vehicle, with MSC covering insurance, maintenance and fuel, or a $1,374.71 monthly vehicle allowance totaling $16,496 annually. MSC also is providing relocation assistance.
Kuhns accepted the employment offer on Aug. 20, according to the signed letter filed with the SEC.
He also will participate in MSC’s executive severance and change-in-control severance plans. Under the change-in-control plan, a qualifying termination within two years after a change in control could trigger severance equal to two times his annual base salary, two times his targeted annual cash incentive and a prorated portion of his targeted annual cash performance bonus. Unvested stock options and stock awards also would accelerate under the terms described in MSC’s filing.
MSC Industrial, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker MSM, distributes metalworking, maintenance, repair and operations products and services, along with production fasteners and hardware. The company says it offers approximately 2.5 million products and employs more than 7,000 people.
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