- After about six years in the position
- Praise and thanks for Vartanian
- Steve Blanco taking over
- Vartanian made a lengthy statement and said 320 words
(exechange) — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 22, 2024 — Nish Vartanian, chief executive of MSA Safety, leaves his position. As announced by MSA Safety Inc. in a news release and in a regulatory filing published on Thursday, February 22, 2024, Nishan J. (Nish) Vartanian leaves his post as chief executive officer at the specialist in safety products, after about six years in the role, effective May 10, 2024.
Nish Vartanian’s duties as CEO will be taken over by Steven C. (Steve) Blanco, currently President and Chief Operating Officer at MSA Safety Inc.
“Part of a planned management succession”
The management change is explained as follows. MSA Safety stated that Blanco’s 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.”
Precise information regarding Nish Vartanian’s future plans was not immediately available.
MSA Safety said: “Mr. Vartanian announced his retirement and Steve’s election this afternoon at a planned meeting of the company’s global leadership team.”
Share price increase since February 2019
The announcement follows an increase in MSA Safety Inc.’s share price of 76% since February 2019.
In the position of CEO since 2018
Nish Vartanian became CEO of the Company in 2018.
On his retirement plans, 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. Nishan J. Vartanian is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of MSA.
Vartanian joined MSA in 1985 as a sales representative.
Over his 35-year career with the company, he has served in a variety of roles of increased responsibility.
In 2010, Vartanian led MSA’s integration of California-based General Monitors, the company’s largest acquisition.
From August, 2013 to May, 2015, Vartanian served as President of MSA North America, overseeing MSA’s largest business segment.
In May 2015, he was named Senior Vice President and President, MSA Americas, assuming responsibility for MSA’s business in North America, Mexico and Latin America.
He was named President and Chief Executive Officer in May, 2018.
In May, 2020, Vartanian was elected Chairman of the Board, becoming just the sixth Chairman in MSA’s 106 year history.
He became an MSA director in 2017.
Vartanian earned his Bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
In addition to his MSA responsibilities, Vartanian serves on the Board of Trustees for the Manufacturers Alliances for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI), the Board of Trustees for the International Associates of Firefighters (IAFF) Foundation, and the Board of Trustees of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development (ACCD), chairing the Infrastructure Committee.
He is also a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland’s Pittsburgh branch and serves on the board of Koppers Holdings Inc.
320 words by Nish Vartanian
In the release announcing his departure as CEO of MSA Safety Inc., Nish Vartanian received praise and thanks.
In announcing his departure, Nish Vartanian made a lengthy statement and said 320 words.
“Dynamic time”
Nish Vartanian stated: “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. 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. Steve has strong experience and understanding of our business on a global basis and is a proven leader. 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. Serving as CEO of MSA Safety has been one of the greatest privileges and experiences of my lifetime. 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.”
The above text is an excerpt from the exechange report 9.2024 ($), publication date February 26, 2024.