BASF drives gender diversity in collision repair industry

n  BASF supports Australasian Paint & Panel’s Women in Collision Awards

n  Program recognizes female talent and highlights industry career opportunities for women

n  Nominations open now to September 30, 2020

Melbourne, Australia – July 9, 2020 – BASF, through its automotive refinishing paint brand Glasurit^®, has signed on to put its support behind Australasian Paint and Panel’s Women in Collision 2020 Awards. Organized by the Australasian Paint & Panel magazine, it is an industry commitment to recognize, reward and develop women in the collision repair industry. Nominations are now open and will close on September 30, 2020.

“We are really proud to support the Women in Collision Awards this year as we believe teams that have diversity and gender balance perform better and bring more perspectives and experiences to the decision-making table. Increasing our gender diversity and inclusivity benefits everyone in our industry and will make us more successful in the long term,” said Tony Wiggins, Head of Coatings, BASF Australia and New Zealand.

“We had observed how pivotal women are in the industry, how often they were the decision makers on many levels and yet they remained very much in the background. First started in 2014, with the continuing support of IAG, the idea of the awards was to highlight and recognise the important role women play in the industry at all levels. The program has gained momentum each year. We now have a closed Facebook group for Women in Collision with over 220 members,” said Sam Street, Editor, Australasian Paint & Panel magazine.

“In conjunction with the awards, we also hold a half day seminar.  Last year we had around 60 participants which was intimate enough for everyone to share something about their journey. Participants have given such amazing feedback and love the opportunity to network with people who understand what they do and the issues they face on a daily basis,” added street.

Previous award winners include Glasurit EDUCATE program graduates Maxine Colligan and Elizabeth Kemp who recently joined BASF as Technical Services Representative. A number of BASF customers have also been award recipients in the past, including Dianne Ruggeri from Europanels and Petrina White from Cramp Bros Bodyworks.

“BASF is committed to implementing initiatives that bring new ways of thinking to drive achievement among both women and men in the industry. These awards are just one example of how we can support our industry to lead this mindset change in order to make progress,” added Wiggins.

The award categories are as follows:

·       Technicians / estimators

·       Admin / customer service

·       Parts manager

·       Owner / manager

·       Industry supplier representative

Dynamic female professional in the collision repair industry can be nominated for the award here. Each category winner will receive flights and a free pass to attend the award ceremony and Women in Collision educational seminar.

About BASF Coatings

The Coatings division of BASF is a global expert in the development, production and marketing of innovative and sustainable automotive OEM and refinish coatings, decorative paints as well as applied surface treatments for metal, plastic and glass substrates in a wide range of industries. The portfolio is completed by the “Innovation Beyond Paint” program which aims at developing new markets and businesses. We create advanced performance solutions and drive performance, design and new applications to meet our partners’ needs all over the world. BASF shares skills, knowledge and resources of interdisciplinary and global teams for the benefit of customers by operating a collaborative network of sites in Europe, North America, South America and Asia Pacific. In 2019, the Coatings division achieved global sales of about €3.75 billion.

Solutions beyond your imagination – Coatings by BASF. For more information about the Coatings division of BASF and its products, visit www.basf-coatings.com.

About BASF in Australia and New Zealand

BASF serves key industries in the agriculture, coatings, construction, manufacturing and mining sectors, and posted sales of about €359 million in Australia and New Zealand in 2019. As of the end of 2019, the company had 500 employees and operated 11 production sites across agricultural solutions, performance products and functional materials and solutions. BASF has been active in Australia for more than 90 years, and for about 60 years in New Zealand. Further information is available on the internet at www.basf.com/au.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 117,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €59 billion in 2019. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.