Setting the right tone for a colorful world

How will you ensure the environment is protected as you grow in China?

We plan to work more closely with suppliers and customers to find new solutions to reduce the overall impact from emissions.

By 2020, we plan to boost the efficiency of our value chain by at least 25 percent to 30 percent.

In China, as part of the 'Together for Sustainability' initiative, we, along with our industry counterparts, are exploring ways to build a chemical industry standard for sustainable supply chains based on the current best practices for the sector.

We believe that sustainability and profitability will ultimately go hand-in-hand. The success of AkzoNobel depends on sustainability and we know only too well that our future hinges on our ability to do radically more while using less.

What has been your biggest achievement at AkzoNobel?

That is a very difficult question. Turning around the company and making it more profitable, including the culture change within the company, and launching our Human Cities Initiative are achievements that we can all be proud of.

What is your philosophy in life?

I have many philosophies in life. I look to live an exciting life with many people and from many cultures. I enjoy being with people around the world, to converse with them, to learn from them, feel the differences and also feel that together we can create an exciting future. That is what makes life and what I do for work is lots of fun.

What's a typical day for you in AkzoNobel?

There is no typical day in the life of a CEO. Every day is different, and that is what makes the job so interesting.

But if I look at the last couple of days, it is always a combination of talking to customers, visiting our facilities, having intensive conversations with the AkzoNobel people, developing talents, other meetings and sometimes meeting investors.

What we always do is to try to make the company better every day, to try to make sure that the innovations become successful in the market and to make sure that we strategically do the right things with a long-term horizon and not just with a short-term view. And that's a typical day of a CEO, although typical, it's different every day.

How many times have you visited China? What has impressed you the most?

I have worked and lived in China for my former job. I have been visiting China at least once a year after I joined AkzoNobel as the CEO since 2012.

I feel astonished at the rapid development of China in the past 10 to 15 years. That's why I'm confident about the long-term development in the market.

Currently, China is the second-largest contributor to our global revenue and we will continue to grow here and are committed to investing in our business and people in China.

CV

Age: 50

Education:

1989: Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands

1993: Master of Business Administration from International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland

2006: Attended the Stanford Executive Program in Palo Alto, California, US

Career:

2012 onwards: CEO and chairman of the board of management and the executive committee of AkzoNobel

2011: Divisional president of AkzoNobel

1994-2011: President and chief executive officer of Sulzer Corporation

Family:

Married