Amit Jain heads Europe to lead AkzoNobel NV's decorative paints team

Amit Jain, Managing Director, Akzo Noble India, has been appointed as AkzoNobel NV’s Director, Decorative Paints - North & Central Europe, based in Amsterdam, effective January 1, 2014. He will continue in his present role until Dec 31, 2013. In a statement to BSE, Nihal Kaviratne, CBE, Chairman of the Company's Board, commented, “Amit's elevation to this critical role is in recognition of the work he has done in transforming Akzo Noble India Limited from a Decorative Paints company to a multi-segment business, capable of providing a coatings solution for ever customer need. We wish him success as he takes responsibility for leading AkzoNobel's largest Decorative Paints market globally."
 
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This announcement comes at a time when the parent company, AkzoNobel, announced its intention on October 2 to streamline management structure and new operating model for its Decorative Paints business in order to accelerate profitable growth in Europe and the high growth markets. The planned changes, due to come into effect on January 1, 2014, will reduce the number of senior management teams and introduce a new top level decorative structure divided into five regions instead of eight: North and Central Europe, South East Europe and Africa, India and South East Asia, Latin America, China and North Asia.
 
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In his present role, Jain is directly responsible for steering and overseeing all of AkzoNobel’s businesses in India and South Asia, including developing and providing a strategic direction to its wide?ranging portfolio of paints and coatings as well as specialty chemicals. He commenced his career with the ICI India paints business and managed its diverse responsibilities in sales & marketing between the years, 1987 and 1994. Following AkzoNobel's acquisition of ICI Plc in 2009, Jain returned to AkzoNobel to assume his current role.