The final three directors bring industrial, automotive and investment experience to a proposed coatings group with about US$17 billion in annual revenue.
AkzoNobel and Axalta have named the final three directors who would oversee the combined coatings supplier following their proposed merger.
The transaction would bring AkzoNobel refinish brands including Sikkens, Lesonal and Wanda into the same corporate group as Axalta’s Cromax, Spies Hecker, Standox and other refinish brands.
Stephan Tanda, Denise Johnson and Robert Schuchna have agreed to serve as non-executive directors when the merger closes.
Tanda has held leadership positions at AptarGroup, Royal DSM and DuPont. His experience includes specialty materials, packaging and industrial manufacturing.
Johnson is a group president at Caterpillar, where she is responsible for the company’s resource industries business. She previously held several positions with General Motors, including president and managing director of GM Brazil.
Schuchna is a partner at Cevian Capital, an investment firm focused on European public companies. He has worked on investments in the chemical and industrial sectors and currently serves on AkzoNobel’s supervisory board.
Rakesh Sachdev, current chair of Philadelphia-based Axalta’s board, will chair the combined company. Ben Noteboom, chair of Amsterdam-based AkzoNobel’s supervisory board, will become vice-chair.
Sachdev said the new directors would “strengthen the board and enhance its oversight of the combined company’s strategic priorities.”
The full 11-member board will also include Greg Poux-Guillaume as CEO and Chris Villavarayan as deputy CEO. Jaska de Bakker, Jan Bertsch, Wouter Kolk and Kevin Stein will serve alongside the three newly named directors.
Shareholders of both companies approved the all-share merger on Aug. 5. AkzoNobel shareholders would own 55% of the combined business, while Axalta shareholders would own 45%.
The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. Completion is expected between late 2026 and early 2027.
