Markus Kamieth

Headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany, BASF operates the world's largest single-site chemical complex (Verbund) and produces thousands of chemical products spanning basic chemicals, intermediates, performance materials, catalysts, coatings, agricultural solutions, and nutrition. Kamieth inherited the strategic response: a massive $10+ billion investment in a new Verbund production site in Zhanjiang, China, while restructuring and downsizing European operations. This China bet is both BASF's biggest growth opportunity and its most politically controversial decision. Kamieth's key decisions involve managing the European cost restructuring, Zhanjiang site completion and ramp-up, agricultural solutions strategy, sustainability investment (BASF is one of the largest industrial CO2 emitters in Europe), and portfolio optimization.