BASF (Ludwigshafen / Germany; www.basf.com) has reallocated the responsibilities of its managing board members to reflect a corporate realignment that increases the number of segments from four to six as of 1 January 2019 – see Plasteurope.com of 21.11.2018. The chemical and plastics group said the new structure will create greater transparency in the management of its business activities and at the same time emphasise the importance of value chains and the role of the integrated network it calls the Verbund.

Five of the segments will have two divisions, while the Agricultural Solutions segment will continue to comprise only one division. The segments and their divisions will be:

• Chemicals – Petrochemicals and Intermediates
• Materials – Monomers and Performance Materials (engineering plastics)
• Industrial Solutions – Dispersions & Pigments and Performance Chemicals
• Surface Technologies – Catalysts and Coatings
• Nutrition & Care – Care Chemicals and Nutrition & Health
• Agricultural Solutions

In the new alignment, executive board chairman and CTO Martin Brudermüller, will be responsible for the functions Legal, Taxes, Insurance & Intellectual Property; Corporate Development; Corporate Communications & Government Relations; Senior Executive Human Resources; Investor Relations; Compliance; Corporate Technology & Operational Excellence and Innovation Management.

Markus Kamieth will be responsible for the businesses Performance Chemicals; BASF New Business; Care Chemicals; Dispersions & Pigments; Nutrition & Health; Advanced Materials & Systems Research and the South America region.

Sanjeev Gandhi, who will continue to be based in Asia, will have responsibility for Intermediates and Petrochemicals, Greater China & Functions Asia Pacific, along with South & East Asia, ASEAN & Australia/New Zealand.

Saori Dubourg will oversee Agricultural Solutions; Construction Chemicals; Bioscience Research and the Europe region.

Wayne Smith, to be based in North America as before, will be responsible for Monomers; Performance Materials; Process Research & Chemical Engineering; Market & Business Development, Site & Verbund Management North America and Regional Functions & Country Platforms North America.

Michael Heinz, in addition to being industrial relations director, will have charge of Engineering & Technical Expertise; Environmental Protection, Health & Safety; European Site & Verbund Management and Human Resources.

Hans-Ulrich Engel will continue to serve as vice chairman of the board and CFO as well as having responsibility for Catalysts; Coatings; Oil & Gas; Finance; Procurement & Supply Chain Services; Digitalisation & Information Services; Corporate Controlling and Corporate Audit.