AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS -- (Marketwire) -- 02/18/13 -- AkzoNobel today announced that Marjan Oudeman, Executive Committee member responsible for Organizational Development and Human Resources, has accepted an offer to become President of Utrecht University, one of Europe's leading and best-rated universities. She will leave AkzoNobel as of June 30 to take up her new role.

Since joining the company in 2010, Marjan Oudeman realigned the Human Resources capabilities of AkzoNobel around the world, ensuring increased employee engagement. In addition, thanks to her leadership, the company made significant progress on its vision to be an employer of choice. Marjan Oudeman was also integral to the creation of the country organizations, which have enabled AkzoNobel to better coordinate resources and help drive operational and functional excellence across the company.

"I would like to thank Marjan for her outstanding service and her much-valued contributions to the company," said Ton Büchner, CEO of AkzoNobel. "On behalf of myself and the Executive Committee, I wish her all the best in her new and exciting role at Utrecht University."

Marjan Oudeman joins the academic world after more than 30 years in business, including an extensive industrial career at Tata Steel and its predecessor companies. Marjan Oudeman is also a Supervisory Board member at Statoil, ABN AMRO and Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS). Next to that, she is Board Member at the Rijksmuseum, Het Concertgebouw and Nationaal Fonds 4 en 5 mei amongst others.

The process to find a successor for Marjan Oudeman is ongoing and the outcome will be announced in due course.

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AkzoNobel is a leading global paints and coatings company and a major producer of specialty chemicals. We supply industries and consumers worldwide with innovative products and are passionate about developing sustainable answers for our customers. Our portfolio includes well known brands such as Dulux, Sikkens, International and Eka. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, we are consistently ranked as one of the leaders in the area of sustainability. With operations in more than 80 countries, our 55,000 people around the world are committed to excellence and delivering Tomorrow's Answers Today™.

Pdf file AkzoNobel press release: http://hugin.info/130660/R/1678867/548082.pdf

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Source: Akzo Nobel NV via Thomson Reuters ONE

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