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Still BASF board member Dubourg: Dispute about the direction of the China business
Photo: Stefan F. Sämmer / IMAGO
Germany's largest chemical group BASF is losing its most prominent manager: Saori Dubourg, who has been on the board of directors responsible for business in Europe among other things, will leave the company at the end of February, as the Ludwigshafen-based company announced after a supervisory board meeting.
Dubourg, according to the succinct statement, is leaving "on the best of terms" - a common business formula, which in this case, of course, conceals the true circumstances.
Actually, the contract with the business economist would have run until 2025.
Dubourg has spent her entire career at BASF, working for the company for a good 26 years.
But in the past few months there have been reports of major differences between Dubourg and BASF boss Martin Brudermüller.
The rift was sparked by the question of how strongly the chemical company should focus on the growth market of China.
Under Brudermüller, BASF decided in the summer of 2022 to invest up to ten billion euros in a new Verbund site in southern China.
Dubourg is said to have voted against the expansion in China, but according to SPIEGEL information he was largely isolated on the board and also on the supervisory board.
Recently also traded for Bayer tip
BASF boss Brudermüller argues that his company should be well positioned within the world regions - especially in times of high energy prices in Europe.
BASF has to catch up in China, as the People's Republic will soon account for half of global chemical production.
At the same time, the group announced savings in Europe, which should primarily affect the headquarters in Ludwigshafen.
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Outside the board, Michael Vassiliadis, head of the mining, chemical and energy industrial union (IG BCE), also warned that BASF should not put all its eggs in one basket and should not underestimate the geopolitical risks.
According to Vassiliadis, it is by no means certain "that growth in China will continue linearly for a long time, like a law of nature."
BASF boss Martin Brudermüller is about to leave himself.
Last fall, the supervisory board extended the contract with the 61-year-old by just one year, until spring 2024. At times, his board colleague Dubourg was considered a possible successor at the top of BASF.
In the meantime, the business economist has also been traded as a possible boss of the Bayer Group in Leverkusen.
For the time being, nothing will come of either: Dubourg's departure from BASF is now imminent - and the American Bill Anderson will soon replace the previous CEO Werner Baumann at the helm of Bayer.
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