AMSTERDAM - AkzoNobel has named Thierry F.J. Vanlancker the future Executive Committee member responsible for Specialty Chemicals, effective February 1, 2017. He will succeed Werner Fuhrmann, who has decided to retire from the company next year after 37 years of service.

Vanlancker, a Belgian national, was most recently President - Fluoroproducts for Chemours, the spin-off company of DuPont's chemical businesses formed in 2015. He joined DuPont in 1988 and has held a number of senior positions both in Europe and the United States.