Rob Canizares Announces Plans to Retire from MSA; Ronald N. Herring and Kerry M. Bove Named Co-Successors to Lead MSA International Operations

PITTSBURGH, April 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- MSA (NYSE: MSA) President and CEO William Lambert today announced that, in a planned management succession, Ronald N. Herring Jr., and Kerry M. Bove have been named presidents of the company, each appointed to lead specific geographic regions that comprise MSA's European and International business segments.  Mr. Herring and Mr. Bove will succeed Roberto Canizares who, after nine years of service with the company, has decided to retire at the end of October.  The new assignments for Mr. Herring and Mr. Bove will be effective November 1, 2011, and both will report directly to Mr. Lambert.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110419/NE86073-a )

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110419/NE86073-b )

"In connection with the planned retirement of Rob Canizares, and combined with our efforts to provide greater emphasis on accelerating MSA' s performance improvement in Europe, as well as provide continued focus on growth in emerging markets, I am pleased to announce the promotions of Ron Herring and Kerry Bove," Mr. Lambert said.

In his new role Mr. Herring will serve as President, MSA International, Western Europe Zone (WEZ) and Middle Eurasia Zone (MEZ), with responsibility for MSA operations in Western and Eastern Europe, as well as operations in Russia, the Middle East, Morocco and India.

Mr. Bove, in his new role, will serve as President, MSA International, Asia-Pacific Zone (APZ) and Africa/Latin America Zone (ALZ), with leadership responsibilities for MSA operations in Australia, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Mr. Herring began his career with MSA in 1983.  During that time he served in various Sales, Marketing, General Management and Global Product Leadership roles of increasing responsibility across the company.  Mr. Herring also held various roles within MSA's North American Sales organization in the New York metropolitan area. In 1992, he relocated to Pittsburgh to become MSA's Nuclear Industry specialist and product line manager for supplied-air respirators.  He also held the position of Product Group Manager for air-purifying respirators prior to becoming Director of Marketing for MSA's former Safety Products Division.  Mr. Herring was promoted to General Manager of that division in 2003, and was elected a vice president of the company in 2004.

In May 2006, Mr. Herring was promoted to the newly created role of Vice President of Innovation and Total Quality for North America.  This was expanded in 2007 to his current role of leading MSA's global functions of Engineering and Marketing as Vice President of Global Product Leadership.  In his new role as a President of MSA International, Mr. Herring will continue to be based in Berlin.   He holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing, and an MBA.

Mr. Bove began his career at MSA in 1980 as an industrial engineer.  Over these many years he has served in various Manufacturing, Marketing, General Management and Operational Excellence roles of increasing responsibility.  Mr. Bove also has held various roles in Marketing, working as a product line manager for MSA head, eye, face and fall protection products, and as a Product Group Manager for air-purifying respirators (APR).  Additionally, Mr. Bove has led MSA's Global Product Steering Teams in APR and gas detection instrumentation, and served as Director of Marketing for Gas Detection.

From 1999 until 2005, Mr. Bove served as Vice President and General Manager of MSA's former Instrument Division. Since that time, he has led MSA's Operational Excellence initiatives for North America and, since 2007, for MSA globally.  Mr. Bove holds undergraduate degrees in Administration Management Science and in Economics, and an MBA with a concentration in Finance.

Commenting on the retirement of Mr. Canizares, Mr. Lambert acknowledged the many contributions Mr. Canizares has made to MSA's success over his nine years with the company.  "During his time with MSA, Rob grew both sales and earnings in our Asia Pacific and Africa/Latin America zones to all-time record highs," he said.  "Rob also served in key leadership positions and made valuable contributions to MSA's growth and development in each of those positions.  Through his leadership, MSA extended its reach to several global markets and customers around the world through the establishment of new MSA affiliates in Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and, just this year, Russia.  He also played a key role in implementing Demand Flow Technology globally in our manufacturing facilities.  It is with sincere appreciation that I acknowledge and salute these and many other accomplishments and improvements Rob has made to MSA, and all of us wish him and his family the best as he enters the next and very well deserved phase of his life."  

Mr. Lambert added, "Between now and October we will be working on implementing a phased transition plan as we prepare for this new organizational leadership.  I fully expect this to be a seamless transition to our customers and shareholders as both Ron and Kerry take on their new roles and lead our efforts to grow our global business and enhance MSA's profitability in Europe and internationally."

Established in 1914, MSA is a global leader in the development, manufacture and supply of safety products that protect people's health and safety.  Many MSA products typically integrate any combination of electronics, mechanical systems and advanced materials to protect users against hazardous or life-threatening situations. The company's comprehensive line of products is used by workers around the world in the fire service, oil, gas and petrochemical industry, homeland security, construction, mining and other industries, as well as the military.  Principal products include self-contained breathing apparatus, gas masks, gas detection instruments, head protection, ballistic body armor, fall protection devices and thermal imaging cameras. The company also provides a broad range of consumer and contractor safety products through retail channels.  These products are marketed and sold under the MSA Safety Works brand.  MSA has annual sales of approximately $1 billion, manufacturing operations in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America, and more than 40 international locations.  Additional information is available on the company's Web site at www.msanet.com.

SOURCE MSA