Kurt De Ruwe has been CIO at AkzoNobel for over three years now, where he, combining modesty with confidence, has brought about change in many areas: from cost reduction and intelligent automation to a radically new approach to network security. “For me, the status quo is absolutely a no-go. I always want to move forward, I always want to innovate.”
What is the biggest challenge your organization is currently facing?
“We work in a challenging environment with macroeconomic conditions that are not always favorable. As an organization, we are trying to improve the top and bottom lines through highly targeted initiatives that are designed to have an impact in the short term, but which should also have a long-term effect.”
“By using AI, we can automate more tasks and improve people’s productivity. This goes quite far, to the point of complete automation [of processes], through what we call ‘intelligent automation’. We build a certain logic that ultimately performs actions based on internal and external data. For example, a problem or a conflict with transactional data. The AI tool analyzes that data and makes a decision, after which existing processes in SAP ECC and SAP Central Finance (CFIN) are updated.”
“One example is how we use AI to streamline our credit assessment process in Celonis. At AkzoNobel, we deal with thousands of credit blocks on orders awaiting assessment. Since early 2025, AI has played a major role in this assessment process, and we have made this process fully AI-driven, with 90 percent of those credit blocks now being handled automatically. The tool now independently checks whether the order can be released. If the credit limit in CFIN is too low for this, it is also automatically updated. Thanks to AI, the process is much faster, and we need fewer people to supervise it.”
“We have been working with quantum computing for the analysis of preparation formulas for a few years now. But physical tests take time. We are looking into whether we can predict reactions using quantum computing models.”
“There are many more scenarios within AkzoNobel where we are looking at whether the use of AI can deliver improvements. We are not only looking at internal processes to see if they can be made faster and more efficient, but also at production and delivery processes. Will the customer receive their product faster? And will we also get paid faster? So it’s about optimizing the entire chain, end-to-end.”
“It’s a form of agentic AI, in which the system makes autonomous decisions and takes action. We are now looking at where we can make an impact on repetitive tasks that still require a certain level of process intelligence. So it’s not just ‘dumb’ RPA. A certain logic is required, so an analysis must be performed, and then, based on models, a decision must be made that is executed automatically. We try to work without ‘humans in the loop’ as much as possible, i.e., fully automatically.”
The acceleration of technological and societal change does not make it any easier to plan a transformation. How do you keep up?
“I love technology and cybersecurity. I am a CIO who likes to experiment and innovate. So yes, I watch, I read, and I have contacts with suppliers. We have two partners, including one innovation partner, which means we sometimes get beta versions. Or they ask me what I think about something. And then we can ask them, also in the development roadmap, if they can still adjust this or that. And we have an open mindset. If it makes sense, we try it, sometimes for a few weeks. And if it yields benefits, we scale it up. If it doesn’t, we stop. So we don’t do AI for the sake of AI. You have to be very selective in what you look at. We always do an evaluation first; many solutions are also quite expensive.”
“But we have quite a few AI capabilities already, and our biggest challenge is explaining to our users what they can do with them. We have weekly awareness sessions, and we have briefings for management and senior management. But what we also see is that people come across something on Facebook that they want to try. And that’s exactly what we want to avoid. [We want] them to come to us first, because we often already have the knowledge and those capabilities available. We don’t want them to just use an external tool for the first task that comes along, because we obviously have to be careful about what happens to our data.”
“What we also realize is that some people just don’t have the mindset [to use AI tools]. With an LLM-based solution, people have to describe step by step what question they want answered. That’s revolutionary; a lot of people can’t think that way. So we’re looking at how we can teach them to ask the right question, to make the right prompt. I don’t think there’s a lack of tools; there’s a lack of adoption to be able to make more of an impact.”
“We hold regular sessions with [supplier] Moveworks, during which they compare our adoption with that of others. We are also reasonably well ahead in terms of using Databricks Genie. There are only three companies in the Netherlands that are already doing what we do. All our financial data is available, all our procurement data is available. The beautiful thing is that, by asking [the LLM] questions, you sometimes find out things you would never see in Excel. You just have to ask the question in the right way.”
“We have been working on quantum computing for the analysis of preparation formulas for a few years now. When we develop a product, we have a certain process with certain reactions. But physical tests take time. We are looking at whether we can predict reactions using quantum computing models. If the reaction is promising, it means we will test it physically. If it doesn’t work out, we stop.”
Could more intensive collaboration with peers help you in your daily work?
“The answer may sound a little arrogant, but when I talk to peers, I often notice that we are further ahead. For example, today I had a conversation with someone at BMW. We are redesigning our network, without SD-WAN and without firewalls being needed. I explained it to them, and yes, they agreed with me. I talk to people about very specific things, but in most areas we are still a little further ahead than others.”
“The Dutch like to talk; discussing something three times before anyone takes action is pretty normal. But after that, I want something to happen.”
“For cybersecurity, we do take part in the Circle of Trust. There is a lot of knowledge exchange there. And we also reach out to people in departments outside of IT [at other organizations]. We are now looking into doing several things differently in marketing. We learned about that at Danone, for example. We don’t ask their IT team about that, but we try to talk to people from the relevant departments to understand how they experienced the changes and what the pitfalls are.”
How would you describe your leadership style?
“That’s a very difficult question. For me, the status quo is absolutely a no-go. I always want to move forward, I always want to innovate. People sometimes tell me that I want to move too fast, too far, and too radically. So my biggest challenge is getting people on board. I always look at how things can be improved. I don’t celebrate successes enough; that’s one of my weaknesses.”
“When necessary, I can delve into technology very deeply. I am aware that as a CIO, I need to keep my distance. But I am always one of the first to help test new things.”
“I can be very impatient at times. Dutch people like to talk; discussing something three times before anyone takes action is pretty normal. But after that, I want something to happen. That was the biggest shock when I came to the Netherlands from Germany. People would say, ‘The decision of the CEO is good input for the next discussion.’ I still struggle with that. Look, AkzoNobel is a global company, but it’s just very ingrained in the culture.”
What are you proud of?
“That’s also a difficult one… I’m proud of my family; I have a wonderful family. And I’ve been with AkzoNobel for three years now, and when you see where we came from and where we are now… It’s certainly not perfect; it’s certainly not all sorted out. But we’ve made huge strides in several areas. I like the fact that we’re also recognized as innovative by several companies. Contract negotiation is also something I’m proud of. We’ve renegotiated almost all contracts – I do that too. And the new network concept is also mine. So I constantly challenge my architects. That’s how I like to run the team. I talk to everyone, no matter where they are in the organizational chart. People know that too. I’m very involved in the content.”
Watch the CIO of The Year Special with Kurt De Ruwe: