AkzoNobel has today announced the appointment of Maëlys Castella (47) as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer. She will officially take up the position on September 15.

Maëlys Castella succeeds Keith Nichols, who announced his intention to leave AkzoNobel on January 15, 2014. She has worked at Air Liquide for the last 14 years, most recently as Group Deputy CFO. Her previous posts there include Europe Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Finance and Treasury Director.

Commenting on the appointment, AkzoNobel CEO Ton Büchner said: "We're delighted to have appointed Maëlys as the company's CFO. She brings a wealth of experience in finance and will add fresh impetus to our ongoing commitment to improve operational excellence and drive value creation."

Added Antony Burgmans, Chairman of AkzoNobel's Supervisory Board: "This is a very important appointment. Maëlys is a high caliber professional who will bring key skills and capabilities to the company. After a thorough and international search and selection program that saw many talented candidates, we're very happy that Maëlys will be joining us as CFO."

Maëlys Castella said: "I am looking forward to working for AkzoNobel with great enthusiasm. It is a company I much admire, where I believe I can make a major contribution to the management team in their focus on operational excellence."

A French national, Maëlys Castella joined Air Liquide as Group Financing Manager in 2000. She previously worked for ELF Oil & Gas Group, where her positions included Financing and Capital Markets Manager.

She will be nominated for appointment to AkzoNobel's Board of Management and will be based at the company’s head office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Ton Büchner will take over CFO responsibilities in the brief transition period between Keith Nichols' departure and Maëlys Castella's commencement date.

Source: AkzoNobel