Axalta has announced that Robert Bryant will step down as President, Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors to pursue other opportunities, effective 31 August 2022.
Rakesh Sachdev, an independent director and former chief executive officer of Platform Specialty Products Corporation (now Element Solutions) and Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, will assume the role of interim Chief Executive Officer.
“On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to thank Robert for his leadership and dedication to Axalta,” said Bill Cook, Board Chair at Axalta. “Robert joined the company as CFO in 2013 when it was first carved out of DuPont and played a key role in Axalta’s successful IPO and listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014. Since being appointed President, CEO and Director in 2018, Robert has built a strong leadership team and spearheaded our transition to a business-centric operational model that has allowed us to be more customer-focused, while also advancing our innovation and human capital programmes.
“I’d like to extend a special thanks for his leadership during the unprecedented challenges we’ve faced over the past few years related to the COVID-19 pandemic and global supply chain issues. We wish Robert continued success in his next endeavours.”
Cook described Rakesh as a “proven leader and the right choice” to serve as Axalta’s interim CEO. “The board has tremendous confidence in Axalta’s leadership team and is focused on ensuring the team’s continuity during this transition,” he added.
Bryant said it had been an “honour and a privilege” to lead the Axalta team across the globe. “I am proud of the tremendous progress our company has made during my tenure. I want to thank our leadership team and employees for their tireless commitment to the company and our customers around the world. I look forward to watching Axalta realise its full potential,” he said.
Sachdev said Axalta has “clear priorities and paths” to achieve secular growth and market share gains by leveraging its technology platforms and continuing to launch new and innovative products. “During this transitionary period, I look forward to partnering with Axalta’s deep bench of senior leaders to drive further growth as end-markets normalise over time and to execute flawlessly on our strategy to significantly enhance value for all our stakeholders,” Sachdev said.