Peter Sadler, the popular general manager of car refinishes at AkzoNobel, has resigned from the company and a new GM is being sought.
In a statement from the company's headquarters in Port Melbourne, Stephen Read, acting GM, said Sadler had "decided to leave AkzoNobel and I will be stepping in as acting GM until a permanent appointment can be made."
Read said an advertisement for the position had been placed in The Age and an Adelaide recruiter had been engaged to help with the search.
In the meantime, Read said he would be responsible for the company's marketing activities. Industry insiders say that Sikkens, the AkzoNobel refinishing brand, has been hovering at about six to seven percent of the total Australian refinishing auto paint market. Speculation in the industry is that issues surrounding targets during this economic downturn may have been a factor in Sadler's decision.
The quality of Sikkens paint is not in question, but the auto paint business is very difficult at the moment, particularly when chasing market share.
Sadler, who is highly regarded in the industry, had been with the company since 2000. He had set-up the refinish business for the paint brand in India and Bangalore before coming back to take control in Australia and New Zealand.
In an interview with Paint&Panel last year, Sadler said his work had been to focus on growing distribution and service to customers and bodyshops.
When the Wattyl company, which owned the paint brands, broke from the group in 1999, AkzoNobel had to re-build its market share.
Sadler said: "the Wattyl departure had made the climb back a big task in an already established market. It was like starting from scratch."