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People

BASF SE says that it has made changes to its board of executive directors in line with its “Winning Ways” strategy. The Supervisory Board has appointed Dr. Mary Kurian and Dr. Livio Tedeschi as members of the Board of Executive Directors effective from May 1, 2026. At the same time, Michael Heinz 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 said: “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 special-ties businesses, always in direct contact with important partners and key customers of BASF.”

Livio Tedeschi 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. Kurt Bock added: “Livio Tedeschi is a recognised 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.”

AFC Energy plc says that its chief technology officer, Dr Mike Rendall, has been appointed as the inaugural chair of the UK Ammonia Alliance (UKAA), a new industry body formed to advance the nation’s low-carbon ammonia sector. The founding members of the UKAA are AFC Energy, Air Products, Blended Products, Clean Air Power, Exolum, Green Cat Hydrogen, HYCAP, Industrial Chemicals Limited, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, N-Gen Energy, and Statkraft. The alliance aims to promote ammonia’s role in decarbonising heavy industry, agriculture and energy systems, and will host its first public event in parliament in November to launch a policy paper on the UK’s ammonia opportunity.

EcoUrea has announced that Kennet Bollerød has joined the company as CEO for its Norway operations. With this appointment, the company aims to provide customers with faster response times, more flexible supply solutions and a closer, more transparent relationship. “We are delighted to welcome Kennet to the company. With his vast knowledge and experience in the industry this appointment will allow us to work hand-in-hand with our customers, ensuring they receive a fast response, and the delivery schedules they need,” said Alex Roberts, Operations Director at EcoUrea.

Fertiglobe has completed the acquisition of the distribution assets of Wengfu Australia Pty Ltd. (Wengfu), a leading fertilizer distribution business. This acquisition reinforces Fertiglobe’s commitment to customer proximity in key markets, in line with its ‘Grow 2030 Strategy’. The acquired assets are located across five ports with eight warehouses, distributing 700-800,000 t/a of fertilizers to over 200 customers, with the capacity to scale up to 1.1 million t/a. Fertiglobe Australia Pty Ltd. (Fertiglobe Australia), a fully owned subsidiary of Fertiglobe, has been established as the legal entity that will operate the acquired distribution assets under the Fertiglobe brand. Paul Osborne has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Fertiglobe Australia, and commented: “This exciting new chapter will unlock new opportunities for our business and benefit our customers through access to a strong global ecosystem. We are proud to contribute to Fertiglobe’s expansion into the Asia-Pacific region and to integrate with a company that shares our commitment to delivering value through global reach, local expertise, and a mutual vision for strategic growth.”