After the new organisational setup, Patrick Zheng Yu Zhao and Frank Naber will respectively lead the Automotive OEM Coatings Solutions and the Global Surface Treatment business units of BASF.
The Coatings division of BASF has recently announced that the company will implement new global business units in order to better serve international customers who are increasingly asking for support and services. The new organisational setup, effective from 1st
August 2023, will include the Automotive OEM Coatings Solutions and Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions units.
Patrick Zheng Yu Zhao, the previous senior vice-president of the Coatings Solutions business unit in the Asia-Pacific region, will now assume the role of head of the new Global Automotive OEM Coatings Solutions unit – based in Hong Kong. Zhao holds a bachelor's degree in Polymer Science from the East China University of Science and Technology and an MBA from the Donghua University. He started his career at BASF in 1999, within the Polyurethane business.
In addition, Frank Naber will assume the responsibility of the Global Surface Treatment business unit
based in Frankfurt (Germany), which operates under the Chemetall brand, succeeding Christophe Cazabeau. The former senior vice-president of the Automotive OEM Coatings Solutions business unit in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region studied business administration at the University of Münster and then began his career at BASF in 2004, working in various regional and global roles in the Polyurethane division in Germany and Belgium. In 2012, Naber joined the Coatings division, where he took on various account and business management functions.
Finally, the new Global Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions business unit located in Münster (Germany) will be managed by Chris Titmarsh.