Neo Announces Filing of Management Information Circular and Nominees for Annual General Meeting of Shareholders

TORONTO, May 26, 2025 /CNW/ - Neo Performance Materials Inc. ("Neo" or the "Company") (TSX: NEO) today announced that the Company has filed its management information circular (the "Circular") and related materials for Neo's annual general meeting of shareholders to be held on June 26, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. (Toronto time) at 40 King Street West, Suite 2400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (the "Meeting"), under Neo's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at www.neomaterials.com.

The following individuals are standing for election to the board of directors (the "Board") in connection with the Meeting: Hua Du, G. Gail Edwards, Edgar Lee, Eric Noyrez, Rahim Suleman, Paul A. Mascarenas, OBE, and Jonathan Evans.

Two nominees, Messrs. Mascarenas and Evans are standing for election to the Board for the first time. Both individuals were identified, with the assistance of a global executive recruitment firm, through the Board's process of assessment and refreshment, intended to align the skills, experience and expertise on the Board with the needs and future development of the business.

Mr. Mascarenas is a Venture Partner with Fontinalis Partners. He will bring extensive experience and expertise in automotive research and development, product development and manufacturing to the Board. Mr. Mascarenas spent 32 years at the Ford Motor Company, holding various development and engineering positions, and most recently served as Chief Technical Officer and Vice President, leading Ford's worldwide research organization. He is a past director of Mentor Graphics Corporation and automotive supplier BorgWarner Inc. (NYSE: BWA). He currently serves as a member of the board of directors at ON Semiconductor (NASDAQ: ON), the United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) and the Shyft Group (NASDAQ: SHYF).

Mr. Evans is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Lithium Americas Corp. He will contribute his significant expertise in M&A, capital projects, financing arrangements and organizational restructuring.  In addition, the extensive capital markets and investor relations experience he has developed in his current role will be an asset to the Board and management team. Mr. Evans has more than 20 years of operations and general management experience across businesses of various sizes and industry applications. Mr. Evans was previously the COO of DiversiTech Corporation and also held executive management roles at FMC Corporation (FMC: NYSE), Arysta LifeScience, AMRI Corporation and General Electric (GE: NYSE).

Neo's Board Chair, Claire M.C. Kennedy, who has served as director of Neo since 2017 and Board Chair since 2020, will be retiring from the Board and will not stand for election at the Meeting.  Ms. Kennedy played an important role in leading the Board during a critical period in Neo's development.  In addition, director John McGarva, who joined the Board in 2024 as the independent nominee of Hastings Technology Metals Ltd., will also not stand for election at the Meeting.

"Neo is pleased to present shareholders with a refreshed slate of director nominees that will support the Company and the management team on the exciting road ahead. In addition to our current directors, our new director nominees each bring a unique set of skills, relevant expertise, and industry experience that the Board believes will prove invaluable to Neo," said Claire Kennedy, Neo's Board Chair.

"Over the past several years, I have been privileged to work with accomplished fellow directors and our talented management team. I look forward to Neo capitalizing on the current macro and geopolitical environment, delivering superior outcomes for our customers and maximizing value for Neo's shareholders."

"On behalf of Neo, I would like to thank Claire and John for their service to the Company. Claire has made significant contributions to the Board and to Neo during a transformational period," said Rahim Suleman, Neo's Chief Executive Officer. "I would also like to recognize John for his insights and participation in Board deliberations."

At the Meeting, Shareholders will also be asked to vote on the re-appointment of KPMG LLP as auditors of the Company for the ensuing year and to authorize the Board to fix the remuneration to be paid to the auditor.

Shareholder Information and Questions

Shareholders with questions regarding voting their shares should contact Neo's proxy solicitation agent and shareholder communications advisor, Laurel Hill Advisory Group, by calling 1-877-452-7184 (toll free in North America), 1-416-304-0211 (outside North America) or by email at [email protected].

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws in Canada. Forward-looking information may relate to future events or future performance of Neo. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, with respect to Neo's objectives and goals, as well as statements with respect to its beliefs, plans, objectives, expectations, anticipations, estimates, and intentions are forward-looking information. Specific forward-looking information in this press release include, but are not limited to: the Meeting and matters relating thereto, including the election of directors and the future performance of Neo and its business, including in the context of the current macro and geopolitical environment. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "continues", "forecasts", "projects", "predicts", "intends", "anticipates" or "believes", or variations of, or the negatives of, such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. This information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Neo believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information included in this discussion and analysis should not be unduly relied upon. For more information on Neo, investors should review Neo's continuous disclosure filings available under its profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Information contained in forward-looking statements in this press release is provided as of the date hereof and Neo disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information or future events or results, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws.

About Neo Performance Materials

Neo manufactures the building blocks of many modern technologies that enhance efficiency and sustainability. Neo's advanced industrial materials – magnetic powders, rare earth magnets, magnetic assemblies, specialty chemicals, metals, and alloys – are critical to the performance of many everyday products and emerging technologies. Neo's products fast-forward technologies for the net-zero transition. The business of Neo is organized along three segments: Magnequench, Chemicals & Oxides and Rare Metals. Neo is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; with corporate offices in Greenwood Village, Colorado, United States; Singapore; and Beijing, China. Neo has a global platform that includes manufacturing facilities located in China, Germany, Canada, Estonia, Thailand and the United Kingdom, as well as one dedicated research and development centre in Singapore. For more information, please visit www.neomaterials.com.

SOURCE Neo Performance Materials, Inc.

Information Contacts: Irina Kuznetsova, Investor Relations, [phone] ext. 7334, [email protected]; Vasileios Tsianos, Media Requests, [phone] ext. 7335, [email protected], Website: www.neomaterials.com