BASF’s Coatings division appoints heads for global business units

Effective August 1, 2023, the Coatings division of BASF will implement global units for its Automotive OEM Coatings Solutions and Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions businesses. With the new organisational setup, BASF better serves its global customers who increasingly ask for global support and services.

Patrick Zheng Yu Zhao (main picture) will take charge of the new Global Automotive OEM Coatings Solutions business unit, based in Hong Kong. Prior to this role, he was Senior Vice President at Coatings Solutions Asia Pacific. Zhao started his career at BASF in 1999 within the Polyurethane business and held various positions across different divisions. He has an MBA degree from Donghua University and a bachelor’s degree in Polymer Science from East China University of Science and Technology.

Chris Titmarsh (pictured below) will assume responsibility for the new Global Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions business unit, located in Münster, Germany. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions EMEA, based in Germany. Titmarsh studied Chemistry from 1992 and completed his postgraduate studies of Business Management in 1999. In 2006, he started his career at BASF as a polymer research chemist. He held various positions in marketing and business management before moving to the Asia Pacific Automotive business located in Hong Kong in 2015.

Frank Naber (pictured below) will assume responsibility for the Global Surface Treatment business unit, which operates under the Chemetall brand, in Frankfurt, Germany. In this position, he succeeds Christophe Cazabeau who will prepare for a new assignment. Prior to this role, Naber was Senior Vice President at Automotive OEM Coatings Solutions EMEA. He studied business administration at the University of Münster and began his career at BASF in 2004. He worked 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 in the Automotive OEM Coatings business unit in Münster and Hong Kong.