Tex Gunning, who joined recruitment giant Vedior last year as chief executive, will join AkzoNobel in September as managing director of its decorative paints business, a statement from Vedior announced today.

Since the announcement of the merger of Randstad and Vedior last December (2007), Gunning has been leading the integration process of the two companies. He will continue in that role until the end of August, the statement said.

“Tex has played a crucial role in making the Randstad-Vedior merger a reality,” said Ben Noteboom, CEO of Randstad Holding. “One of his initiatives is introducing the ‘Get to know you’ sessions between Vedior and Randstad employees, based on mutual trust and respect.”

Before joining Vedior last year, Gunning spent 25 years in the management of consumer-facing businesses with Unilever, 15 of them in the Asian and Australasian markets.