BASF (Ludwigshafen / Germany; www.basf.com) has appointed the first woman to its board of executive directors (managing board). Following the annual general meeting (agm) on 6 May 2011, Margaret Suckale will become industrial relations director with board-level responsibility for human resources, environment, health & safety and Verbund site management Europe, as well as engineering & maintenance. Suckale served previously on the managing board at the German railway, Deutsche Bahn.

Taking a seat on the BASF managing board at the same time will be Michael Heinz, who will have responsibility for dispersions & pigments, care chemicals, nutrition & health, paper chemicals, performance chemicals and polymer research. Heinz, who joined BASF in 1984, is currently overseeing the integration of the group’s latest acquisition, personal care products manufacturer Cognis.

Present BASF managing board member Ulrich Engel has been named new chief financial officer. In this function he succeeds Kurt Bock, who will take over from Jürgen Hambrecht as chief executive following the next agm. John Feldmann will retire from the board at the same time. Some board responsibilities are being redistributed; however, Martin Brudermüller will retain responsibility for plastics.

BASF has also made a new appointment to its supervisory board. With effect from 17 December 2010, German television executive Anke Schäferkordt will replace banker Stephen K. Green, who has taken up a function in the new UK government.