NORCROSS, Ga. – AkzoNobel Automotive & Aerospace Coatings (A&AC) Americas has announced the appointment of Laura Costello as director of marketing. She will oversee all activities related to the marketing, branding and promotion of the Sikkens, Lesonal, U-Tech and Wanda brands for both the car and commercial business sectors. She also will be a member of the Global Marketing Council for Automotive & Aerospace Coatings.

Costello, who began her career as a chemist, has more than 18 of experience in the paint and coatings industry. Most recently, she was with the Marine and Protective Coatings Business of AkzoNobel headquartered in Houston, Texas. There she served as global marketing manager for the Water and Waste Industries. She also held the positions of marketing manager, North America and director of marketing Americas.

“The automotive industry and specifically the collision repair industry are in a stage of dynamic transition,” said AB Ghosh, general manager of Automotive and Aerospace Coatings Americas. “Laura has an impeccable background working with small businesses, large distribution channels and strategic planning. She has successfully led a number of key initiatives for other divisions of AkzoNobel, and we are confident that she will be instrumental in advancing A&AC products, programs and tools that will be beneficial to our customers.”

Prior to joining AkzoNobel, Costello held positions in a number of organizations whose core competencies are closely aligned to issues found in the aftermarket industry. A few of the more notable include The National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), one of the largest political lobbying organizations for small and independent business owners. She also worked with International Comfort, now part of Carrier, which marketed five brands that were sold through, at the time, the largest distributor base channel in the industry. In addition, she was senior vice president strategic market development with Comdata Corp.