Articles

Young, brave, and adventurous Nathalia Gaviria Salinas made perhaps her boldest life decision when she moved to Australia, a thousand miles away from her country, Colombia, in 2013. Nathalia, who now works as a Sales and Technical Account Manager (PAM) in the BASF ANZ Mining Solutions team, has squeezed a lot of learning into the past ten years, and in this story, she shares some of her highlights.

Sop­­hie Hulme, BASF ANZ’s Regulatory Affairs Manager, Seeds and Traits was recently invited to share learnings from BASF's diversity and inclusion journey at the National Farmer’s Federation (NFF) Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Day. The event was attended by 35 government, business and representative organisations, who share a commitment to increase gender diversity and inclusion in the agriculture industry.

As one of the world’s leading chemical companies with a footprint in almost every country in the world, BASF offers its employees many unique development opportunities. An opportunity came knocking at Elie Mitshiabo’s door when his manager presented him with an opportunity to exchange his role as Technical Sales Account Manager at BASF South Africa, for a temporary role with BASF Australia. 

If you could pick only one word to describe Dmitriy Kan, it would definitely be 'optimistic'. The glass is always half full, and there is always a new corner of the earth to explore, with Australia as his latest destination. Dmitriy and his family arrived in Melbourne about four months ago from Moscow, Russia, where he was previously working as a Senior Mining Tech Specialist for BASF Russia.

BASF partnered with Curtin University to ignite interest in STEM subjects amongst primary school students from Year 4 – 6 from WA with the latest edition of the popular BASF Kids’ Lab program. The program is designed for children to discover the world of chemistry through simple and safe hands-on experiments. 

If there is a phrase to best describe our third GROW Graduate for the year, it would be 'the great outdoors' as James Thompson is certainly someone who lives for outdoor adventures. This 25-year-old from Silvan, Victoria, learnt about agriculture and horticulture from a very young age, allowing him to develop an appreciation for farming by experiencing various aspects and roles within the industry.

BASF Australia and National Rural Independents (NRI) both recognise the importance of continuous training for the next generation of agronomists. Last month, they partnered in an initiative that brought together 22 young agronomists from across the NRI member network for a two-day training session at the BASF research farm in Tamworth, NSW.

Julia Canfailla joined BASF Australia in February as one of the GROW Graduates after having completed her Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). 

When walking around busy city streets, we often spend a lot of time looking up and around, but do you ever stop and think about what lies beneath? Find out how BASF and the team at TRI Underground Australia collaborated to create a next generation pit lid.

In 2022, BASF Australia welcome three talented GROW Graduates to the company, including Ally van Dalen.  A graduate of Deakin University, Ally completed a double Bachelor Degree of Commerce and International Studies, majoring in International Trade and Chinese Language.

 

At BASF, we're committed to identifying, onboarding and developing industry talent as we firmly believe that our people are the key to success, especially when they’re provided with the right guidance, tools and opportunities to shine. One great example of this commitment is Airley Mulraney, one of BASF's Seeds and Traits (S&T) Associate Agronomist based in Mount Gambier.

 

BASF Australia recently added the first all-electric vehicle, the Audi e-tron to its corporate fleet, which colleagues get to use when visiting customers, sites, and industry events. BASF colleagues shared their experiences using the vehicle and discussed how EV would be the future of mobility. 

 

In conjunction with National Recycling week in November last year, BASF ANZ organised Clean4Change Waste Challenge where colleagues get to participate and contribute in addressing climate change. Find out more about this initiative. 

 

BASF Australia joined the National Farmer's Federation (NFF) in celebrating National Ag Day in November last year. In conjunction with the theme of 'Choose your #AgVenture', colleagues from various backgrounds and experiences shared their personal #AgVenture.

To shine a spotlight on safety in the workplace, BASF colleagues together with their family and friends, were recently invited to submit creative content around the theme "Danger never takes a holiday".  Find out more about the BASF ANZ family and friends safety challenge. 

In honour of International Rural Women’s Day, a day that recognises the crucial role that women and girls play in supporting rural communities, BASF Australia has released their annual Diversity in Agriculture pledge. 

Lockdowns? Yes. Border closures? Many. Masks in the office? You bet. These were just a few of the curveballs that were thrown Dilhan's way during his first six months in BASF’s GROW Graduate Program. Here Dilhan Jayawardena reflects on his adventures to date.

Ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), David Hawkins, BASF Australia and New Zealand's Chairman and Managing Director, and the Chair of Chemistry Australia, discusses how Victoria’s manufacturing industry could benefit from global net zero shift.

Gavin Heard has been named as the new Head of BASF Australia’s Seeds & Traits business. A BASF veteran, Heard has more than 20 years’ experience with the company having worked in a range of commercial, technical, development and regulatory roles for BASF in Australia and abroad.

We’re thrilled to share BASF’s Hannah McArdle, Area Sales Manager, has been nominated in the Hort Connections National Awards. We caught up with Hannah to find out a little more about her career to date, and what this industry recognition means to her.

When three large, heavy boxes arrived at the local school in Pannawonica, an iron-ore mining town of 600 people in Western Australia’s Pilbara, the students couldn’t wait to find out what was inside. Find how the science books donated by BASF and Indigenous STEM charity, DeadlyScience are inspiring a new generation of scientists. 

During the pandemic, Australians have taken to the water sparking a sales boom in kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards. Find out how BASF's Irgastab® extends the service life of kayaks by preventing degradation from UV rays, thermal stress and oxidation. 

At BASF, we want to contribute to a world that provides a viable future with an enhanced quality of life for everyone. No initiative is considered too small when it comes to encouraging sustainable farming practices, and at our CropSolutions farm in Tamworth, NSW, the research team is proving that indeed, from little things, big things grow. 

It’s more important than ever that we search for sustainable eco-materials and creative solutions that do not harm our planet. We caught up with local Melbourne artist and experimental designer Jessie French, who is taking this challenge on head-first through her experimental bioplastic work, created using BASF’s natural beta-carotene.   

In honour of International Women's Day 2021, we've created a collection of stories from just some of the inspirational women at BASF ANZ who #ChooseToChallenge in their own way. 

Chemical engineer. Fashionista. Community worker. There's a lot to explore when it comes to getting to know Jane Mansaray. We recently caught up with Jane, who joined BASF's Mining Solutions team as a Sales and Technical Account manager in late 2020, to find out a little more about her prior working experience and life outside of work.

They say that the best ideas come to you when you least expect them, a sentiment that proved to be true when it came time for Toby Erkkila to choose a career. Find how a high school excursion to a dairy farm led Toby to choose a career in agriculture.

When Hannah Thomas tells people she has the ‘very sweet’ job of being a Melon & Watermelon Sales Specialist, they often assume she works in retail selling seeds to gardening enthusiasts. In reality, a typical day for Hannah involves travelling to farms, assessing crops, eating watermelons and having discussions with growers.

From grappling with challenging stock sudokus to tasting watermelons for a living, working in the agriculture industry has a myriad of career options. In this series, we catch up with three agricultural graduates who have taken their degree in agriculture three very different directions. In part one, we chat to BASF Seed Supply Coordinator Jake Gaudion.

At this year’s Diggers and Dealers conference BASF’s Mining Solutions team were keen to talk about more than just flocculants and dewatering aids. 

Lynley Crawford spends most days advising customers on which BASF performance material best suits their project, and most nights skating in circles around an industrial estate. As a Technical Manager by day and a pro inline speed skater by night, every day for Lynley is different. 

Local technical support and resources are crucial to helping our customers develop new and sustainable innovations in the paint and coatings industry. BASF was pleased recently to open a new laboratory and technical support centre for its local dispersions and resins business in Australia and New Zealand.

There’s no question about it: returning to work after having a baby poses one of life’s biggest juggling acts for women.