William Lambert

Mr. Lambert directed a significant change in MSA’s long-term corporate strategy by focusing resources and investment on three key areas to drive profitable and sustainable growth: (1) leveraging MSA’s “core product” technologies; (2) generating growth through acquisition with a heightened focus on key emerging markets; and (3) achieving key cost reduction and operational excellence initiatives around the world. As part of this strategy, in 2010 Mr. Lambert guided the $280 million acquisition of California-based General Monitors Company – a leading developer and manufacturer of fixed systems for gas and flame detection. The GM deal, which remains the single largest acquisition in MSA’s history, immediately established MSA as the global leader in FGFD technology, creating broad new growth opportunities in the global oil and gas industry. In 2015, Mr. Lambert guided the $190 million acquisition of Latchways, Plc, a leading U.K. Fall Protection provider, which doubled MSA’s market share position in Fall Protection and provided earnings of $0.13 per share in the first full year of ownership. Most recently, Mr. Lambert oversaw the company’s $215 million acquisition of Globe Manufacturing, a leading innovator and manufacturer of firefighter protective clothing and boots. Despite a number of global economic challenges during his tenure, sales of MSA’s strategically important “Core Products” have grown at an 8 percent CAGR over the last five years and today represent approximately 80 percent of MSA’s total sales – compared to 58 percent in 2009.