Business News
Personnel changes at BASF
Thursday 30. April 2009 - Dr. Rainer Seele proposed as new Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Wintershall Holding AG; Dr. Peter Eckes to become new President and CEO of BASF Plant Science; Reinier Zwitserloot and Dr. Hans Kast to retire
BASF SE today announced the following personnel changes:
Reinier Zwitserloot (59), who has been Chairman of Wintershall Holding AG, headquartered in Kassel, since 2001 will retire effective September 30, 2009. Dr. Rainer Seele (48), who has been a member of Wintershalls Board of Executive Directors since 2002, has been proposed to the Supervisory Board of Wintershall Holding as his successor effective October 1, 2009. Seele is currently responsible for the natural gas business. Effective June 1, 2009, Wintershalls Supervisory Board has appointed Martin Bachmann (50) to the Board of Executive Directors of Wintershall Holding AG with responsibility for Exploration and Development. Bachmann is currently Vice President, Gas and Power, Russia, Caspian and Southeast Europe at Royal Dutch Shell PLC, The Hague, Netherlands.
Zwitserloot was born in Groesbeek, Netherlands, in 1949. After completing his studies in chemistry at the Technical University in Eindhoven, Zwitserloot held a variety of managerial positions at Exxon in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. In 2000, he was appointed member of the Board of Executive Directors of Wintershall responsible for Exploration & Production. Zwitserloot was appointed Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Wintershall in October 2001.
Seele was born in Bremerhaven, Germany, in 1960. After studying chemistry and receiving a doctorate from the University of Göttingen, he joined BASF in 1987. After a number of positions in research and research planning, Seele was appointed head of strategic planning at Wintershall in 1996. In 2000, he became Managing Director of Wingas GmbH and was appointed to the Board of Executive Directors of Wintershall with responsibility for natural gas in 2002.
Dr. Kans Kast (59), who has been President and CEO of BASF Plant Science, Limburgerhof, Germany, since 2000, will retire effective June 30, 2009. He will be succeeded as of July 1, 2009 by Dr. Peter Eckes (45), currently Senior Vice President, Global Research & Development Crop Protection.
Kast was born in Stuttgart in 1949. After studying chemistry and receiving a doctorate from the University of Stuttgart, he joined BASF in 1980. Following a number of positions in research, Kast assumed responsibility for the Dispersions Marketing department. From 1993 onward, he headed the regional division Japan, headquartered in Tokyo. Kast became head of the regional division North America Consumer Products in 1997 before being appointed President BASF Plant Science in 2000.
Eckes was born in Königstein, Germany in 1963. After studying chemistry and receiving a doctorate from the University of Frankfurt, he joined BASF in 1992. After holding functions in research in Ludwigshafen, Eckes assumed managerial positions in marketing and production in the Intermediates division in the United States and in Germany. Eckes has been Senior Vice President, Global Research & Development Crop Protection since 2002.