Hardinge Inc., an international provider of advanced metal-cutting solutions, announced that its board of directors at its meeting on December 10, 2013, appointed Douglas J. Malone as vice president and chief financial officer and Edward J. Gaio as vice president, business development. Malone and Gaio will both report to Richard L. Simons, chairman, president and chief executive officer. The appointments are effective immediately.

Simons commented, "I look forward to Doug's participation in the senior leadership team at Hardinge. I believe that his depth of knowledge in accounting and finance, as well as his international experience with our operations, when combined with his energy and leadership skills will serve us well in his new position."

He continued, "Importantly, given the size and international scope of our recent acquisitions as well as our plans for continued growth, both organically and through acquisitions, we found a need to have someone dedicated to acquisition integration as well as identification and analysis of strategic opportunities. Ed's operational and financial background, his knowledge of our company, and his proven ability to manage acquisitions from start to finish qualifies him as the right person for this role."

Malone joined Hardinge in 2008 as corporate controller. Prior to joining Hardinge, he served as senior vice president financial planning and analysis for financial institutions' Five Star Bank from 2005 to 2008 and previous to that as senior vice president finance and operations for a former subsidiary bank of the company. Malone, a certified public accountant, began his career with KPMG, LLP after earning his degree in accounting from St. John Fisher College.

Gaio joined Hardinge in 2006 as corporate controller and became vice president and CFO in 2008. Previously, he served as vice president, finance of Agilysys, Inc. He earned a B.S. in accounting from the University of Steubenville and an M.B.A. from Cleveland State University.