AkzoNobel NV announced it has appointed Fredrik Westin as chief financial officer, effective Jan. 1, 2026, replacing Maarten de Vries, who will retire after completing his second four-year term.
Fredrik Westin was named CFO at AkzoNobel effective Jan. 1, 2026.
Since May 2020, Westin, 52, served as CFO and executive vice president at Autoliv Inc., the automotive safety systems company He has more than 25 years of experience in industrial and automotive sectors, including previous CFO roles at Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology and Johnson Controls.
The Swedish national will succeed de Vries as part of what the company called a structured succession process. De Vries will remain on the board of management through April 2026 to complete the transition.
“Fredrik is a seasoned financial leader with a proven track record of enhancing profitability, even in challenging markets,” said Ben Noteboom, chair of AkzoNobel’s supervisory board. “His experience and insights will play an important role in driving operational efficiency and fostering sustainable growth across the organization.”
AkzoNobel CEO Greg Poux-Guillaume praised de Vries’ tenure, saying, “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 organization.”
Westin said he was looking forward to the role, “I’m honored 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.”
Westin’s appointment to the board of management requires shareholder approval.