AkzoNobel announces that Tex Gunning will join the company as managing director of its Decorative Paints business with effect from September 1, 2008.
The former ceo and chairman of the board of Vedior, a staffing services company, and a former Unilever senior executive, Mr Gunning (57) will be nominated to join the AkzoNobel board of management at the company's next agm in April 2009.

In a busy month for Akzo Nobel, the company has sold its Para and Crown Diamond decorative paints brands in Canada to General Paint Corporation, a leading decorative coatings manufacturer.

The sale is in line with a commitment package, which was agreed with the Canadian authorities in connection with AkzoNobel's acquisition of ICI in January.

Akzo Nobel added that the divestment of the Crown business in the UK & Ireland is progressing, while headway is also being made on the sale of the DeKeyn and some other brands in Belgium.

In the meantime, Akzo has rolled out an updated identity and a new set of brand guidelines to create a 'dynamic, strong but practical' update