From the Sector

AkzoNobel has announced that Mrs. Jaska de Bakker, Mrs. Ute Wolf and Mr. Wouter Kolk will be nominated for appointment to the company’s Supervisory Board, while Mr. Byron Grote – currently Deputy Chair and Chair of the Audit Committee – will be nominated for a fourth term of one year.

Mrs. De Bakker is a financial leader with experience in strategy, governance and ESG. Currently a board member at various companies, she was previously CFO at Royal FrieslandCampina and at Royal HaskoningDHV.
 
Mrs. Wolf is a seasoned finance professional with more than 25 years of experience in financial management and corporate planning. She served as CFO of Evonik Industries AG for ten years and, prior to that, she held several senior positions within various industries and companies.
 
Mr. Kolk is the current CEO of Ahold Delhaize Europe and Indonesia. With more than 32 years of experience in commercial, operational, supply chain, strategic and general management roles, he brings a wealth of knowledge in different geographies and businesses.

Subject to the approval of his re-appointment, Mr. Grote will lead the supervision of the external auditor selection process, whereby the external audit firm of AkzoNobel will be replaced, starting with the audit of the 2026 financial statements. His re-appointment also ensures continuity during the change of the PWC lead partner in charge of the AkzoNobel account, as of the audit of the 2024 financial statements.  

The appointments and re-appointment will be put to shareholders for approval at the Annual General Meeting being held on April 25. Mrs. Pam Kirby, who is completing her second four-year term, will step down as member of the Supervisory Board as per the same date.

• First place in the Austria’s Leading Companies business competition
• Winner of the Global Player Award for successful internationalization

Lenzing AG has two renowned national awards to celebrate. Austria’s Leading Companies (ALC), which was held on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, again recognized the country’s most successful companies. In a competition organized by PwC Austria, Die Presse newspaper and KSV1870, a credit protection firm and business platform, Lenzing won first prize in the “Climate protection” category.

At the ALC Awards, the company’s performance is what counts. Balance sheet figures and sales and earnings growth over the past three fiscal years, alongside a weighted system of key performance indicators, ensure that the results are objective. A carefully selected jury then decides on the final ranking across the various categories. “In these challenging times for the economy, the ALC Award offers valuable recognition and motivation for the future. In periods of crisis, innovation, moving with the times and a change of perspective are crucial”, added the organizers.

Successful internationalization
For no less than the 26th time, this year saw the award of the Export Prize of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO) to companies that have been highly successful in markets abroad. The jury chose Lenzing as the winner of the Global Player Award 2020.

The prize is awarded to companies that have built up a strong position on the global market over the past several years. The Global Player Award recognizes businesses that have established an efficient network outside of Austria and are actually considered to be pioneers in exporting goods or services within a particular country or sector.