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BASF has announced a new management board for the spin-off of its new Agricultural Solutions division as a separate company ahead of its listing and initial public offering (IPO) on the Frankfurt stock exchange. BASF says this will “establish the standalone business as an independent, pure-play agricultural company with global reach, robust growth prospects and strong cash flow generation.” BASF will remain the majority shareholder and will continue to benefit from the company’s growth and success, while implementing market customary corporate governance.

The new management board will take office from May 1st 2026 and will lead Agricultural Solutions through its transition to an independent, publicly listed company. It will comprise four members: Dr. Livio Tedeschi, President, BASF Agricultural Solutions, will assume overall responsibility as the Head of the Management Board. He will also become member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE with responsibility for the Agricultural Solutions segment effective May 1, 2026, as previously announced.

Sascha Bibert will join BASF Agricultural Solutions from Vallourec SA and, as member of the management board, be in charge of Finance. Maximilian Becker, Senior Vice President Vegetable Seeds, BASF Agricultural Solutions, will be in charge of Business. Dr. Melanie Bausen-Wiens, Senior Vice President Regulatory, Stewardship & Public Affairs, BASF Agricultural Solutions, will be in charge of Technology.

“For over a century, Agricultural Solutions has supported farmers and breeders with innovations that help them grow their crops to their full potential. As we move forward as a fully integrated company with proven strengths in crop protection, seeds and traits, digital farming, and sustainability, we are uniquely positioned to serve evolving customer needs, while continuing to advance agriculture and create sustainable, resilient food systems for generations to come,” said Tedeschi, incoming member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE and Head of the Management Board of Agricultural Solutions. “Together with the new Management Board and our teams worldwide, we will turn our strategy and vision into reality – opening a new chapter for our business to become publicly listed.”

Agricultural Solutions is being separated from BASF into own legal entities and is introducing an industry-specific ERP system. This transition has already been successfully accomplished in North America; for the remaining regions it will be completed by early 2027.

Taiwan Fertilizer Co., Ltd. Has announced the appointment of Chen Yu-Hsin as President, effective January 1, 2026. The board of directors resolved the appointment on December 30, 2025. The previous President was Chang Chang-Lang, who served as TFC Chairman and President and holds an MSc from the National Taiwan University Graduate Institute of Building and Planning. The new President, Chen Yu-Hsin, was a Senior Specialist at the Ministry of Agriculture and holds an MA from the National Chung Cheng University Graduate Institute of Political Science.

CVR Energy, Inc.’s board has appointed Mark A. Pytosh, a long-time executive within the CVR group, as President and Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2026, succeeding David L. Lamp, who will step down from those roles as of December 31, 2025. Pytosh, 60, who has served as the Company’s Executive Vice President Corporate Services since 2018 and as President and CEO of the general partner of CVR Partners, LP since 2014, will retain his leadership and board roles at CVR Partners while assuming the top executive position and a new directorship at CVR Energy, as the board expands from nine to ten members. He will not receive additional board compensation while employed, and the company disclosed that there are no related-party transactions, pre-arranged selection understandings, or family relationships influencing his appointment, underscoring a continuity-focused but formally independent leadership transition.