The additions finalise the board structure for the merged paints and coatings company. Following the deal's closing, the 11-member board will be led by Rakesh Sachdev as Chair, Ben Noteboom as Vice-Chair, Greg Poux-Guillaume as CEO, and Chris Villavarayan as Deputy CEO.
AkzoNobel
and Axalta Coating Systems have named three new non-executive directors to complete the board of their proposed combined company, marking a key governance step toward closing their merger of equals.
- Denise C. Johnson currently serves as Group President of Caterpillar's Resource Industries division and sits on the board of ABB. She brings extensive manufacturing and operational expertise from prior leadership roles at General Motors.
- Stephan B. Tanda is the outgoing President and CEO of AptarGroup, where he oversaw the firm's expansion into high-margin drug delivery and material sciences. He previously spent a decade on the executive managing board of Royal DSM.
- Robert Schuchna, a partner at active ownership fund Cevian Capital, currently serves on AkzoNobel’s Supervisory Board and the board of Rexel, bringing a strong track record in corporate value creation across industrial sectors.
“We are pleased to announce that Stephan, Denise and Robert will join the combined company Board upon closing of our merger. Stephan and Denise each bring significant senior executive experience driving growth at a variety of industrial businesses, and Robert’s deep investment background will reinforce the Board’s focus on long-term value creation. Together, their expertise will further strengthen the Board and enhance its oversight of the combined company’s strategic priorities,” has commented Rakesh Sachdev, Chair of the Axalta Board of Directors.
“These highly qualified independent directors bring experience that will support the Board as we bring together our complementary portfolios, industry-leading innovation capabilities and talented teams. We have already seen the value Robert has added to AkzoNobel as a member of our Supervisory Board, and we look forward to benefiting from his continued insights alongside Stephan and Denise. With the Board now fully assembled, we are confident the combined company is well positioned to realize the full potential of the merger by accelerating innovation, strengthening customer relationships and delivering sustainable growth,” has noted Ben Noteboom, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of AkzoNobel.