AkzoNobel

AkzoNobel headquartered in Amsterdam, is proud to be the worlds leading manufacturer of sustainable decorative paints and performance coatings, and home to some of the best-known brands in the business including Dulux, Cuprinol and Hammerite.

Everyday, our products protect the buildings and infrastructure around the globe and promote safety and good health. They bring color to the world, allow us to travel and communicate, and furnish our homes and offices. And, most importantly, they help to create a more sustainable society.

The future belongs to those smart enough to challenge it

Our values define what we are and what we aim to be. They reflect the way we should operate both internally and externally.

If you share our values and goals, we can give you a career where your talents and ambitions are recognized and rewarded. You'll work in an international environment with plenty of opportunities to develop - as an individual and as a professional. With structured career development and support mechanisms in place you will be sure to achieve your full potential.

You'll be offered rewarding and challenging projects that will stretch your mind and let you use your initiative. That’s why our 58,000 employees—who are based in more than 80 countries—are committed to excellence and delivering Tomorrow’s Answers Today.

What’s so special about working with AkzoNobel?

• We’re a multicultural company with market-leading positions throughout the world.
• We recognize that what’s good enough for our customers today may not be good enough for them tomorrow. That’s why we focus on our customers’ futures first.
• We’re entrepreneurial in our thinking and pragmatic in solving problems. Everything we do, we do with integrity and responsibility.
• If you share our values and goals, we can give you a career where your talents and ambitions are recognized and rewarded.
• You’ll work in an international environment with plenty of opportunities to develop – as an individual and as a professional.
• You’ll be offered rewarding and challenging projects that will stretch your mind and let you use your initiative.
• You’ll work with like-minded people who share your attitudes and enthusiasm.

And by working with AkzoNobel, you’ll also help us to achieve our ambition – to be the first choice of customers, shareholders and employees worldwide.

Meet our colleagues

Having the freedom to express yourself from day one. Being rewarded for what you contribute. And having the space to grow and develop. That’s what every day is like at AkzoNobel.

But don’t take our word for it. We’ve asked of our UK Reporting Manager Dominic Eaves on how he feels about working here. Click on the link below to read his story.

What are your perceptions of AkzoNobel?

Since joining the company, my perception is that AkzoNobel is constantly evolving to meet the challenges of the modern global operating environment. I think this is ideal for a graduate to flourish because it means there are always new challenges, and hence opportunities to show that you have made a difference. As a graduate it is great to be part of this; seeing processes improve and being a part of it. Also, the large scale of AkzoNobel means that opportunities for development are varied, which certainly appeals to me.

AkzoNobel's commitment to investment in its graduates is clear. I took part in the Graduate Development Programme which is for 3 years in the Finance Department. The programme is based around a range of four residential courses that aim to develop the key competencies that are valued by the organisation. I found these events to be great fun, providing an opportunity for networking across the businesses and functions. AkzoNobel have also supported me through the completion of my CIMA exams by paying my course fees and allowing me time off work to study.

I benefited from gaining exposure to several distinct roles as a graduate. I spent a year at the Dulux Decorator Centre Head Office in Manchester, working in Financial Accounts and Internal Audit Departments. I then moved to Slough to work in the UK Trade Business where I gained greater experience in Management Accounting. This was followed by a stint in European Finance which included some European travel, which was great. My last placement saw me work as a Commercial Finance Manager working closely with the Sales Team to manage the financial aspects of our trading relationship with some key retailers.

After finishing my CIMA exams I became the Financial Controller of AkzoNobel's Hammerite Products Ltd which is a Supply Chain entity based near Newcastle-Upon-Tyne that manufactures metalcare and woodcare products. During this time I managed the local Finance team of 3 people, as well as sat on the local Site Management Team. This role afforded me a higher degree of responsibility, and I certainly learnt a lot.

At the beginning of 2008 I moved back to Slough to take up the role of UK Reporting Manager, which has chiefly involved helping to ensure financial reporting is completed accurately and on time. This has been challenging as it has involved the integration of the former ICI business units into AkzoNobel reporting processes. This is definitely an exciting time for the business with many opportunities for exploiting synergies through learning from each other.

Training and Development

In return we expect you to seize the chances we offer, embracing a culture of integrity and responsibility and delivering our promise of ‘Tomorrow’s Answers Today’.

Everyone, from graduates and first-line managers to executive level management, has the chance to grow through structured learning and development.