Cees J.A. van Lede

Cees J.A. van Lede "is the former chairman of the board of management and chief executive officer of Akzo Nobel N.V., a Netherlands-based manufacturer and worldwide distributor of healthcare products, coatings and chemicals, until his retirement in 2003. He was elected to the board of directors of Sara Lee Corporation in 2002. Van Lede serves on the Audit Committee, Compensation and Employee Benefits Committee and Corporate Governance, Nominating and Policy Committee. He also is a member of the Supervisory Board of Sara Lee International.

"Van Lede joined Akzo Nobel NV in 1991 as a member of its Board of Management. He was appointed vice chairman of the Board of Management in 1992 and became chairman and chief executive of Akzo Nobel in 1994. From 1984 to 1991, he served as chairman of the Federation of Netherlands Industry (VNO), and from 1991 to 1994 he was vice president of the Union of Industrial and Employers’ Confederations of Europe (UNICE). Prior to that, van Lede served as president and chief executive officer of Koninklijke Nederhorst Bouw BV, a Netherlands-based construction company, from 1977 to 1980. After Nederhorst was acquired by Hollandse Beton Groep (HBG) in 1982, van Lede served as a member of the board of the combined company from 1982 to 1984. Van Lede was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company from 1969 to 1976, and worked out of their offices in The Netherlands, the United States, Belgium, France and Brazil.

"He serves as the chairman of the Supervisory Board of Heineken and Sara Lee International and is a non-executive director with Air France/KLM, Philips Electronics, Akzo Nobel, Air Liquide and Reed Elsevier. He also serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations. Van Lede also is the chairman of the Board of the Directors of INSEAD (France), the well-known European business school.

"Van Lede earned a degree in law from the University of Leiden, and a master’s of business administration degree from INSEAD, the Institute of Business Administration in Fontainebleau, France."


 * International Advisory Council (2011), JPMorgan Chase