MSA names Steve Blanco as new chief executive officer
Safety equipment manufacturer MSA Safety, based in Cranberry Township, announced Thursday, Feb. 22, that its board of directors elected Steve Blanco chief executive officer, effective May 10, which is when current chairman and CEO Nish Vartanian plans to retire.
The board also elected Blanco as a director of the company, effective immediately, as he currently serves as MSA's president and chief operating officer.
“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,” 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.”
Blanco, 57, joined MSA in 2012 as vice president of Global Operational Excellence and in 2017, was named president of MSA Americas, responsible for the company's business in the U.S., Canada and Latin America.
Under Blanco's leadership, from 2018 through 2022, revenue in the company's Americas segment grew by more than 40%.
“The mission of MSA to protect people at work, along with the organization’s customer-driven mindset, passion for safety innovation and employee-focused culture, is what first attracted me to the company in 2012,” Blanco said. “To follow in Nish Vartanian’s footsteps and now have the opportunity to lead and continue to fulfill that mission and legacy is a great honor. With the support of Nish and the MSA board, the strong global management team we have in place, and our 5,000 dedicated associates around the world, I am confident in our ability to enhance MSA’s market strengths and build on the success we have achieved over the past 110 years.”
Prior to joining MSA, Blanco worked for Eaton Corporation, a global power management company. Before that he worked for Ford Motor Company and Visteon, serving in a variety of engineering, plant management and operations roles.
Vartanian, 64, who has been with MSA for 39 years, said he intends to continue his service on the MSA board.
He originally joined MSA in 1985 as a sales intern and over the years has worked in a broad range of sales leadership positions, including regional sales manager, national sales manager and director of north American sales.
“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,” Vartanian said.
