Peer voting names AkzoNobel chief executive as the best CEO in the chemicals industry
Greg Poux-Guillaume is the 2026 ICIS CEO of the Year
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ICIS announced 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," said Poux-Guillaume.
"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."
Dean Curtis, CEO of ICIS, said: "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."
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.
"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 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG).
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.
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. He started his career in Exploration and Production with TotalEnergies.
Previous winners of ICIS CEO awards, as voted by the ICIS Top 40 Power Players, include ADNOC's Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber (2025), Arkema's 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).
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