Octavio Marquez, president and chief executive officer of Diebold Nixdorf, has been elected to the board of directors of MSA Safety Inc., the global industrial safety equipment manufacturer announced on July 21. The appointment is effective immediately and comes as part of MSA's regular board succession planning efforts, according to the Pittsburgh-based company. Marquez brings three decades of experience in digital transformation and capital allocation to the nine-member board.
MSA Safety Chairman Robert A. Bruggeworth, who assumed the role in May 2026, praised Marquez's appointment in a statement: "He brings a broad range of executive leadership experience, including strategy development, capital allocation, business transformation and serving international markets, which will serve MSA well." MSA President and CEO Steven C. Blanco added that Marquez's perspectives would be an asset to the company's executive leadership team. The company did not name an external search firm in connection with the appointment.
Marquez, 55, has served as president and chief executive officer of Diebold Nixdorf since March 2022 and was elevated to chairman in February 2023. Before assuming the top role at the Ohio-based financial and retail technology company, he led the Global Banking business, which generated approximately 70 percent of company revenues. His career spans more than 30 years across technology and finance, including senior positions at Hewlett Packard, where he served as president of HP Mexico and was named CEO of the Year for IT and telecommunications in 2011 by Frost & Sullivan. He previously held leadership roles at EMC, IBM and NCR. Marquez holds a bachelor's degree in business and finance from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and has completed executive education at MIT Sloan, Wharton School and University of Texas at Austin.
MSA Safety, headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, generated revenues of 1.9 billion dollars in 2025 and employs approximately 5,300 associates across more than 40 international locations. The company, which has operated since 1914, commands leading market positions in fire service breathing apparatus, gas detection systems and industrial personal protective equipment. MSA holds an estimated 11 percent share of the global industrial safety market and maintains particularly strong positions in North America, where it controls an estimated 25 to 30 percent share of the self-contained breathing apparatus market used by first responders and industrial workers.
Marquez's appointment reflects MSA's strategic focus on board experience in digital transformation and capital management, areas where the company is advancing connected-worker analytics platforms and pursuing targeted acquisitions. In May 2026, MSA agreed to acquire Autronica for approximately 555 million dollars to expand fire and gas detection capabilities, and the board authorized a 500 million dollar share repurchase program in February 2026. Industry observers may view the appointment as signaling MSA's continued emphasis on technology-enabled growth and disciplined capital allocation, particularly as the company navigates international market softness and seeks to expand recurring software and managed-services revenue streams alongside its core equipment business.
