Thomas W. Swidarski was named president and chief executive officer and a director of the board for Diebold, Incorporated in December 2005. He is responsible for the company’s global operations and performance in the core businesses (financial self-service and security). Diebold is a $3 billion corporation operating in nearly 90 countries with more than 17,000 global employees. The Diebold brand has been in existence for 150 years and focuses intently on the financial, retail, commercial and government markets. Diebold’s record of 56 consecutive years of dividend increases is unsurpassed by any publicly traded company today.
In his role as CEO, Swidarski has built and focused the Diebold leadership team and its employees on five key priorities: Increasing customer loyalty; improving product and service quality; strengthening the company’s supply chain; enhancing communications and teamwork; and rebuilding long-term profitability. His charge is to continue building upon the Diebold tradition of customer service and loyalty – which will drive the company’s financial performance and help deliver its obligations to its customers, employees and investors. Consequently, in 2008 the company achieved its highest year-end non-GAAP earnings from continuing operations and free cash flow in its 150-year history.
Steering the helm of the company through major shifts in technology, cost structure, manufacturing footprint, regulatory oversight and global markets, Swidarski successfully and innovatively piloted the company through these challenging events while improving customer loyalty and employee engagement. Through these efforts and the company’s SmartBusiness cost savings initiatives, he has fostered a culture of continuous improvement. As a result, the company achieved its initial three-year goal of eliminating $100 million from its cost structure in November 2008. Today, this effort has been expanded to eliminate an additional $100 million of cost out of the company by the end of 2011.
Swidarski recently received the 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award from Cleveland State University, Nance College of Business. This award recognizes graduates whose leadership and achievements have impacted the community. Also, he received the Visionary Award as part of the 2009 Innovation in Business Conference & Awards from Smart Business & Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Ohio.
Swidarski began his career at Diebold in 1996 and has held a series of global leadership roles in operations, marketing and strategic and business development. His previous positions include serving as president and chief operating officer; senior vice president, financial self-service group; and senior vice president, strategic development and global marketing.
Prior to joining Diebold, Swidarski held various positions in his 16 years in the financial industry focusing on marketing, product management, retail profitability, branding and retail distribution. Swidarski was a senior executive at PNC Bank in Pittsburgh, Pa., serving as vice president and director, consumer marketing, from 1985 to 1996. Prior to that, he worked for Ameritrust in Cleveland, Ohio, in various retail roles from 1980 to 1985.
Swidarski is on a number financial industry boards as well as actively involved in the local community. He has also been given the opportunity to speak on self-service banking, payment systems and related issues worldwide.
Swidarski is a native of Pittsburgh, Pa. He received a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management at the University of Dayton in Ohio, and a master’s degree in business management from Cleveland State University.