Paints and speciality chemicals group Akzo Nobel has brought in Marjan Oudeman to join the company’s new nine-strong executive committee, with special responsibiity for human resources policy.

Oudeman, 52, was sidelined by steel group Corus earlier this year after a 28-year career with Hoogovens.
Oudeman, who has three children, is considered one of the most powerful women in the Netherlands. She once said that the lack of women in Dutch boardrooms is a question of the choices they make in balancing their private lives and work.
Earlier this month, new research showed women now account for 8.1% of the country’s top boardroom jobs or 61 out of 749 functions.