RPM 2020 Proxy Statement

2628 PEARL ROAD • P.O. BOX 777 MEDINA, OHIO 44258 PROXY STATEMENT Mailed on or about August 26, 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on October 8, 2020 This Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of Proxies by the Board of Directors of RPM International Inc. (the “Company” or “RPM”) to be used at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company to be held on October 8, 2020, and any adjournment or postponement thereof. The time, place and purposes of the Annual Meeting are stated in the Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders which accompanies this Proxy Statement. The accompanying Proxy is solicited by the Board of Directors of the Company. All validly executed Proxies received by the Board of Directors of the Company pursuant to this solicitation will be voted at the Annual Meeting, and the directions contained in such Proxies will be followed in each instance. If no directions are given, the Proxy will be voted (i) FOR the election of the four nominees listed on the Proxy, (ii) FOR Proposal Two relating to the advisory vote on executive compensation and (iii) FOR ratifying the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2021. Any person giving a Proxy pursuant to this solicitation may revoke it. A stockholder, without affecting any vote previously taken, may revoke a Proxy by giving notice to the Company in writing, in open meeting or by a duly executed Proxy bearing a later date. The expense of soliciting Proxies, including the cost of preparing, assembling and mailing the Notice, Proxy Statement and Proxy, will be borne by the Company. The Company may pay persons holding shares for others their expenses for sending proxy materials to their principals. In addition to solicitation of Proxies by mail, the Company’s Directors, officers and employees, without additional compensation, may solicit Proxies by telephone, electronic means and personal interview. Also, the Company has engaged a professional proxy solicitation firm, Innisfree M&A Incorporated (“Innisfree”), to assist it in soliciting proxies. The Company will pay a fee of approximately $15,000, plus expenses, to Innisfree for these services. Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on October 8, 2020: Proxy materials for the Company’s Annual Meeting, including the 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K and this Proxy Statement, are now available over the Internet by accessing the Investor Information section of our website at www.rpminc.com . To access the proxy materials over the Internet or to request an additional printed copy, go to www.rpminc.com . You also can obtain a printed copy of this Proxy Statement, free of charge, by writing to: RPM International Inc., c/o Secretary, 2628 Pearl Road, P.O. Box 777, Medina, Ohio 44258. 1