AkzoNobel appoints Fredrik Westin as CFO
Fredrik Westin becomes AkzoNobel CFO in January 2026.
Global paint and coatings giant AkzoNobel has named Fredrik Westin as its incoming chief financial officer, with effect from 1 January 2026. He will succeed Maarten de Vries, who is due to complete his second four-year term as CFO and member of the board of management.
Westin, 52, is a Swedish national with over 25 years of experience in the industrial and automotive sectors. He is currently CFO and executive vice-president at Autoliv, a multinational automotive safety company listed in the US and Europe. Prior to this, he held CFO positions at Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology and Johnson Controls.
AkzoNobel operates in over 150 countries and has a global portfolio that includes the coatings brands International (Interlux in North America), Sea Hawk, Intersleek and Awlgrip, as well as the global domestic paint brand Dulux.
In September 2024, AkzoNobel confirmed it plans to cut around 2,000 jobs this year worldwide as it attempts to cut its costs. In January 2025, the firm confirmed it was cutting its French workforce despite a €22m investment.
Ben Noteboom, chair of AkzoNobel’s supervisory board, says: “Fredrik is a seasoned financial leader with a proven track record of enhancing profitability, even in challenging markets. His experience and insights will play an important role in driving operational efficiency and fostering sustainable growth across the organisation. I look forward to having him on board.”
Greg Poux-Guillaume, CEO of AkzoNobel, says: “Maarten has been instrumental in reshaping AkzoNobel into a focused and high-performing paints and coatings company. He’s reinvented our finance function and implemented world-class systems, which have transformed AkzoNobel into a data-driven organisation. His dedication, leadership and focus on value creation are recognised by all and will continue to fuel our company for the rest of his tenure. Fredrik is the perfect successor to deliver our mid-term targets and take the company to the next level of performance.”
Westin says: “I’m honoured to join AkzoNobel, a great company with a clear strategy. I’m eager to work with Greg and the executive team to accelerate our transformation and help strengthen our performance.”
His nomination to AkzoNobel’s board of management will be subject to shareholder approval. De Vries will remain on the board to complete the transition until his retirement in April 2026.
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