Hans Wijers, Chief Executive Officer, AkzoNobel N.V., Amsterdam, the Netherlands, has decided to step down with effect from the Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2012. The Supervisory Board announced the appointment of Ton Büchner as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer – pending AGM approval – with effect from the AGM 2012.

Hans Wijers (right) joined AkzoNobel as Member of the Board of Management in October 2002, and was subsequently appointed CEO in May 2003. He previously pursued a successful career as minister for economics in the Netherlands and within management consultancy. Under Wijers’ leadership, AkzoNobel underwent a transformation from a diverse conglomerate to a focused, global market leader in coatings, specialty chemicals and sustainability.

Ton Büchner (left) graduated from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, with an MSc in Civil Engineering and gained an MBA from the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Lausanne, Switzerland. He joined Sulzer AG, Winterthur, Switzerland, in 1994 and has held a number of operational and leadership roles across the company including the presidencies of two of its divisions, Sulzer Turbomachinery Services and Sulzer Pumps. He has been Chief Executive Officer of Sulzer since 2007.

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• AkzoNobel, Amsterdam, the Netherlands