2026 CEO Forum, Part 2

This year’s forum includes CEOs from leading coatings companies from the U.S., Europe and Asia. The participants are Greg Poux-Guillaume, AkzoNobel CEO; Uta Holzenkamp, president, BASF’s Coatings Division; Dan Calkins, CEO, Benjamin Moore; Abhijit Roy, CEO, Berger Paints; Jaume Juher, chairman, Briolf; João Serrenho, CEO and president, CIN Coatings; Steve Crossman, COO, HMG Paints; Julien Molina, CEO, Mäder Group; Tim Knavish, chairman and CEO, PPG; and Kuldip Raina, MD and CEO, Shalimar Paints.

CW: Do you anticipate a negative impact regarding proposed tariffs?

BASF: We are monitoring the tariff situation very closely. While tariffs may result in costs fluctuation in the short term, we’ve built a resilient, diversified supply chain. We’re confident we can manage through obstacles without impacting supply to our customers or disrupting our long‑term plans.

Benjamin Moore: Over the past year, we have not seen direct impact related to tariffs but they do contribute to lower consumer spending.

Berger Paints: The United States is not an export market for Berger Paints, so the proposed tariffs do not have a direct impact on our business. It is also encouraging that India and the U.S. have since reached a trade understanding that significantly reduces tariff levels, which helps alleviate concerns around potential disruptions.

More broadly, while trade actions can have some second-order effects on sentiment in select sectors, we view the government’s proactive engagement through trade agreements and tariff rationalization as positive for industry and for long-term economic stability.

Briolf: Proposed tariffs inevitably introduce additional complexity into global supply chains, and the paints and coatings sector is no exception. However, we do not expect a uniform or structural negative impact.

Our industrial footprint, with a strong manufacturing base in Europe and a relatively short and diversified supply chain, provides a degree of protection against these dynamics. More broadly, this type of environment reinforces the importance of proximity, industrial robustness and diversification. Rather than changing our direction, it confirms the relevance of the strategic choices we have been making over recent years.

CIN: Trade dynamics continue to evolve within a broader geopolitical realignment. Thanks to our multi-local production model and diversified footprint, CIN is structurally positioned to mitigate potential impacts while maintaining competitiveness and supply reliability. That said, the situation seems to be very fluid, and it is hard to make any strong predictions.

HMG Paints: The purchasing and senior leadership team at HMG aren’t forecasting a large impact of tariffs at the time of writing, though with the volatility in the White House anything could happen. As always, we will continuously monitor our supply chain and explore alternative sourcing strategies and partnerships with the view of mitigating any adverse effects.

Mäder: Trade policy discussions inevitably create uncertainty.

Our diversified industrial footprint and regionalized production model provide structural resilience. We are less exposed to single trade corridors and can adapt sourcing and production flows when necessary.

At the same time, we are closely monitoring another structural evolution: the ongoing consolidation within the raw materials supplier base. The increasing concentration of key resin, additive, and specialty chemical producers can create dependency risks and reduce optionality across the value chain. While larger suppliers often bring innovation capabilities and global reach, reduced competition may lead to tighter availability, longer qualification cycles, and increased pricing pressure.

For coatings manufacturers, this makes supplier diversification, long-term partnerships, and strategic sourcing even more critical. It is not an immediate disruption, but it is clearly a trend that must be actively managed.

In the medium term, we believe resilience, supply chain agility, and customer intimacy will matter more than short-term trade disruptions.

PPG: PPG experienced minimal direct impact from U.S. tariff actions in 2025 because the majority of our raw materials are sourced locally, and products are largely manufactured and sold within the same regions.

Shalimar Paints: No, we don’t. While tariff changes can create short-term margin pressures, given India’s continued reliance on certain imported inputs, they also encourage greater competitiveness and localization. The growing shift toward water-borne technologies and greater use of domestic resins is already reducing import dependence. Overall, the impact is selective rather than adverse, and in the medium term it is likely to reward companies that invest in formulation innovation, local sourcing, and process efficiency.