AkzoNobel strengthens management team with two key appointments

AkzoNobel strengthens management team with two key appointments

Vandana Krishnia named as new marketing head and Neelima Kataria is country HR manager.

Vandana Krishnia, Neelima Kataria

Mumbai: In a bid to strengthen its management team, AkzoNobel India has appointed Neelima Kataria as country HR manager for the India sub-continent and Vandana Krishnia is named new marketing head for the company's paints business.

Speaking on the change in leadership, AkzoNobel India managing director Rajiv Rajgopal said they need the leadership of high performers. "To this end, I am delighted to welcome Neelima and Vandana – two very strong leaders who enrich the organization with their sheer breadth of domain expertise, entrepreneurial passion to innovate, cross-sectoral experience and people-centric approach," added Rajgopal.

As the new marketing head for AkzoNobel’s paint business in India, Krishnia will spearhead the strategising and execution of a long-term marketing roadmap aligned with the company’s profitable growth ambitions for India. Her key priorities will be to bolster the relationship between consumers and Dulux by strengthening the brand and shaping consumer-centric innovations.

She joins AkzoNobel after most recently serving as chief marketing and passenger experience officer at DIAL, GMR group. In her professional journey spanning 18 years, Krishnia has driven marketing management, consumer products, pricing strategy, consumer research for organisations including Hindustan Times and State Bank of India among others.

As country HR manager for AkzoNobel India, Kataria will work closely with the India leadership team and board of Akzo Nobel India towards crafting a meaningful employee experience that augments its business growth ambitions for India. "Among her key priorities will be to drive AkzoNobel’s HR strategic plan to attract the right talent, develop high-performance teams in a fast-evolving business landscape, helm people-centric policies, oversee rewards & recognitions, and embrace employee wellbeing, diversity, and inclusion to strengthen AkzoNobel as an employer of choice," said the statement.

Kataria brings with her over two decades of HR expertise and best practices across geographies and industries. Before joining AkzoNobel, she was the head of HR at Apollo Tyres for Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. Previously, has worked in HR leadership and expertise roles at HT Medias, Fullerton Securities, Bharti Walmart, IBM Daksh and TNT Express.