AkzoNobel CEO Greg Poux-Guillaume is the 2026 ICIS CEO of the Year

LONDON and NEW YORK, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ICIS is pleased to announce Greg Poux-Guillaume, CEO of AkzoNobel, as the winner of the 2026 ICIS CEO of the Year Award for outstanding achievement.

 "I'm honored to receive this award on behalf of the entire AkzoNobel team and thank my peers for their recognition. This distinction is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the people of AkzoNobel. Together we brought the company to this pivotal moment, as we prepare to combine our strengths with Axalta. We will continue to lead the way in paints and coatings and to serve our customers with an unyielding focus on sustainable innovation," said Greg Poux-Guillaume, CEO of AkzoNobel.

"We believe it is important to celebrate the leaders shaping our industry and recognize individual achievement at the highest level. There is no greater recognition than that of your peers," said Dean Curtis, CEO of ICIS.

The ICIS CEO of the Year Award is unique in the chemical industry as the winner is selected by peers based on a vote among industry CEOs in the ICIS Top 40 Power Players – a global ranking of leaders driving the greatest positive impact on their companies and the chemical industry, published in ICIS Chemical Business. An interview with Poux-Guillaume will be published in an upcoming issue.

"In a bold move that could transform the global coatings industry, AkzoNobel led by Poux-Guillaume is planning a merger with Axalta Coating Systems to create a global leader enhancing product breadth, technology capabilities and innovation with close to $17 billion in sales while preserving its strong balance sheet," Curtis added.

In selecting the winner, each of the ICIS Top 40 Power Players was asked to vote for three individuals based on achievements in Innovation (technology, product, business process), Profitability/Shareholder value, Projects, M&A/Portfolio Management, Advocacy and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance).

Greg Poux-Guillaume joined AkzoNobel in November 2022 as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Management, bringing 30 years of experience in industrial businesses and private equity. Afterwards, he stepped down as chairman of the Board of Directors of medmix Ltd.

Poux-Guillaume was previously CEO of Sulzer (2015 to 2022) following a period as CEO of GE Grid Solutions. From 2011 to 2015, he was Executive Vice-President of Alstom Group and served as President and CEO of Alstom Grid. Prior to this, Poux-Guillaume held various other leadership positions with Alstom Group and CVC Capital Partners, and positions in technology venture capital with Softbank and in consulting with McKinsey & Company. Greg started his career in Exploration and Production with TotalEnergies.

Previous winners of ICIS CEO awards, as voted on by the ICIS Top 40 Power Players, include ADNOC CEO Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber (2025), Arkema CEO Thierry Le Henaff (2024), former ExxonMobil Product Solutions president Karen McKee (2023), Dow CEO Jim Fitterling (2022), former BASF CEO Martin Brudermuller (2021) and Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser (2020).

About ICIS

ICIS – Independent Commodity Intelligence Services – helps businesses through seamlessly delivering data and analytics, across global chemical, fertilizer and energy markets. A trusted source and benchmark for price information and insight across key commodities markets worldwide. Our independent, transparent market intelligence informs thousands of quality decisions every day enabling our partners to make the very best business decisions.

ICIS is part of RELX, a FTSE100 company with a market cap of £42bn, employing over 37,000 people across about 40 countries. Trusted for over 150 years in helping shape the world by connecting markets to optimize the world's valuable resources. With a global team of more than 750 experts, ICIS has employees based in London, New York, Houston, Karlsruhe, Milan, Mumbai, Singapore, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Dubai, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Tokyo and Perth.

About RELX

RELX is a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. The Group serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs approximately 30,000 people of whom almost half are in North America. RELX PLC is a London listed holding company which owns 52.9% of RELX Group. RELX NV is an Amsterdam listed holding company which owns 47.1% of RELX Group. The shares are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX and RENX. Total market capitalization is approximately £42bn, €49bn and $57.

SOURCE ICIS