PITTSBURGH, Feb. 22,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors
of MSA Safety, Inc. (NYSE: MSA), a global leader in the
development of advanced safety products and solutions that help
protect people and facility infrastructures, has elected
Steve Blanco Chief Executive
Officer, to be effective May 10,
2024, which follows the company's annual meeting of
shareholders. The Board has also elected Mr. Blanco as a director
of the company, effective immediately. Mr. Blanco, 57,
currently serves as MSA's President and Chief Operating Officer.
His election is part of a planned management succession and
coincides with a decision by MSA Chairman and CEO Nish Vartanian to inform the Board of Directors
that he intends to retire as CEO in May of this year. Mr. Vartanian
announced his retirement and Steve's election this afternoon at a
planned meeting of the company's global leadership team.
"The Board of Directors and I are very pleased for Steve to
become CEO in May of this year and to be elected to the MSA Board
at what is a very exciting and dynamic time for our company and the
safety industry overall," Mr. Vartanian said. "Steve's election
demonstrates the high level of confidence the Board and I have in
his abilities to lead MSA into the future and continue the track
record of growth and performance the company has demonstrated over
the past several years."
Mr. Blanco joined MSA in 2012 as Vice President of Global
Operational Excellence. In 2017, he was named President of MSA
Americas, responsible for the company's business in the U.S.,
Canada, and Latin America. Under Mr. Blanco's leadership,
from 2018 through 2022, revenue in the company's Americas segment
grew by more than 40 percent.
During his tenure with the company, Mr. Blanco also helped
oversee the acquisitions and integrations of Globe Manufacturing,
Sierra Monitor and Bacharach. Most recently, he has served as
the architect behind the MSA Business System, which is designed to
make the company a best-in-class organization by driving a culture
of continuous improvement across MSA – to innovate, improve and
transform the company.
"Steve has strong experience and understanding of our business
on a global basis and is a proven leader," Mr. Vartanian
said. "His strong operational experience, combined with his
passion for continuous improvement, and his respect and
appreciation of the MSA culture, will serve our organization very
well in the years ahead. As the company enters its 110th year
in business in 2024, Steve is ideally suited to lead MSA and
strengthen our position as the global leader in safety technology
and solutions."
On his retirement plans, Mr. Vartanian, 64, a 39-year veteran of
MSA, said he intends to continue his service on the MSA Board. He
also was recently named a director of Koppers Inc. "Serving
as CEO of MSA Safety has been one of the greatest privileges and
experiences of my lifetime," he said. "I have spent my entire
career with just one organization, and I could not be more proud to
lead a company whose only focus is to help protect people at work
so they can return home at the end of each day. I am
especially grateful to the 5,000-plus MSA associates around the
world who demonstrate such a tremendous commitment to that mission
every day. I look forward to remaining active in my role as an MSA
director and serving the company, while working closely with Steve
to ensure a smooth and seamless transition in 2024. My network of
retired friends often remind me that the beauty of retirement is
you can choose to do only the things you enjoy. I plan to take that
perspective to heart, and serving on the MSA Board certainly fits
within that scope."
Mr. Vartanian joined MSA in 1985 as a Sales Intern. Over
the years, he worked in a broad range of sales leadership
positions, including Regional Sales Manager, National Sales
Manager, and Director of North American Sales. In 2010, Mr.
Vartanian led MSA's integration of General Monitors, an acquisition
that established MSA as the global leader in fixed systems for gas
and flame detection.
In 2013, Mr. Vartanian was elected President of MSA's business
in North America. He was later promoted to President of the
company's Americas business segment. In 2017, Mr. Vartanian
was elected a director and assumed the role of CEO in 2018.
He was subsequently elected Chairman in 2020.
Robert A. Bruggeworth, MSA's lead
independent director, noted, "The Board is grateful to Nish for his
strong leadership over the past six years, guiding MSA through
years of growth and expansion, and navigating the company through
unprecedented challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, all
while earning record sales and profitability. He leaves the
Executive Leadership Team extremely well-prepared for the future."
He continued, "We are equally pleased to have elected Steve to
succeed him and to join the Board. The Board has full confidence in
Steve's ability to lead the company into its next phase."
Additional Background on Steve
Blanco:
Prior to joining MSA, Mr. Blanco worked for Eaton
Corporation, a global and diversified power management
company. Prior to that, he worked for Ford Motor Company and
Visteon, serving in a variety of engineering, plant management and
operations roles. An engineer by trade, Mr. Blanco holds a Bachelor
of Science degree in mechanical engineering technology from
Purdue University, and he earned an MBA
from Indiana Wesleyan University. In addition to his MSA
responsibilities, Mr. Blanco serves on the board of National
Association of Manufacturers (NAM), and Catholic Charities of
Pittsburgh.
About MSA Safety
MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA) is the global leader in
advanced safety products, technologies and solutions. Driven by its
singular mission of safety, the Company has been at the forefront
of safety innovation since 1914, protecting workers and facility
infrastructure around the world across a broad range of diverse end
markets while creating sustainable value for shareholders. With
2023 revenues of $1.8
billion, MSA Safety is headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania and employs a
team of over 5,000 associates across its more than 40 international
locations. For more information, please visit
www.MSASafety.com.
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