Akzo Nobel has appointed Maëlys Castella as the company's chief financial officer, with effect from Sept. 15, 2014. She will be the first female CFO at one of the 25 companies on Amsterdam's main stock index and only the second woman to serve on the Dutch company's executive committee.

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.

The 47 year-old Castella, currently CFO of French industrial gases producer Air Liquide, "brings a wealth of experience in finance and will add fresh impetus to our ongoing commitment to improve operational excellence and drive value creation," said Akzo Nobel CEO Ton Büchner.