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Changes to BASF’s Board of Executive Directors
- Mary Kurian appointed as member of the Board of Executive Directors to take over the Chemicals and Nutrition & Care segments
- Livio Tedeschi to take over the new Board responsibilities for the Agricultural Solutions segment in preparation for the planned partial IPO
- Michael Heinz will retire as planned effective April 30, 2026
The Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE is continuing to further develop the strategic direction of the company in line with its “Winning Ways” strategy. This includes the setup of the Board of Executive Directors. The Supervisory Board of BASF SE today, October 28, 2025, appointed Dr. Mary Kurian (48) and Dr. Livio Tedeschi (54) as members of the Board of Executive Directors effective May 1, 2026. At the same time, Michael Heinz (61) will retire as planned.
Mary Kurian was born in India. After obtaining a PhD in Materials Science in 2004, she held various leadership positions at Air Products in the United States and joined BASF in the United States in the year 2020. Since 2023, she has been heading BASF’s Care Chemicals division located in Ludwigshafen. Dr. Kurt Bock, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of BASF SE: “In addition to her international leadership experience in and outside of BASF, Mary Kurian has deep expertise in the commodities as well as in the specialties businesses, always in direct contact with important partners and key customers of BASF.”
Livio Tedeschi will also join the Board of Executive Directors on May 1, 2026, and assume responsibility for the Agricultural Solutions segment. The native Italian has been leading the Agricultural Solutions division, located in Limburgerhof, Germany, since 2022. He joined BASF after completing a PhD in Organic Chemistry in 2003 and had various leadership positions with a focus on crop protection since that time. Regarding the planned partial IPO of the Agricultural Solutions division, he will assume responsibility for this segment with a new Board Ressort and continue to lead the business. Bock: “Livio Tedeschi is a recognized expert in the agricultural business. With his many years of experience, strategic foresight and strong operational leadership, he is the right person to lead BASF’s Agricultural Solutions business into the next successful phase.”
New allocation of responsibilities in the Board of Executive Directors
Following these changes, the areas of responsibility will become effective May 1, 2026, as follows:
- Dr. Markus Kamieth, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, Ressort I: Corporate Development; Corporate Legal, Compliance & Insurance; Corporate Human Resources; Corporate Communications & Government Relations; Corporate Investor Relations
- Dr. Dirk Elvermann, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Digital Officer, Ressort II: Corporate Finance; Corporate Audit; Corporate Taxes & Duties; Global Business Services; Global Digital Services; Global Procurement
- Dr. Katja Scharpwinkel, Industrial Relations Director, Ressort III: European Site & Verbund Management; Global Engineering Services; Corporate Environmental Protection, Health, Safety & Quality
- Dr. Stephan Kothrade, Chief Technology Officer, Ressort IV: Monomers; Performance Materials; Group Research; Greater China; Mega Projects Asia
- Dr. Mary Kurian, Ressort V: Petrochemicals; Intermediates; Nutrition & Health; Care Chemicals
- Anup Kothari, Ressort VI: Coatings; Battery Materials; ECMS; Dispersions & Resins; Performance Chemicals; United States
- Dr. Livio Tedeschi, Ressort VII: Agricultural Solutions
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises, as core businesses, the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care; our standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €65.3 billion in 2024. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.
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