Who we are
Dr. Katja Scharpwinkel
Member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE
Dr. Katja Scharpwinkel is Member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE as well as Industrial Relations Director and Site Director of BASF’s largest Verbund site in Ludwigshafen, Germany.
Katja Scharpwinkel was born in 1969 in Hagen, Germany. She studied chemistry at Münster University and received her diploma in 1994, followed by her PhD in 1996.
In 2010, she joined BASF following the acquisition of the former Cognis. Since then, she has successfully led various businesses. She headed, for instance the Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions business for Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA), as well as BASF’s European distribution organization BTC Europe, which supplies products and solutions to medium-sized customers. She also led BASF’s Region EMEA. In 2024, she was appointed as a member of the Board of Executive Directors.
She is responsible for the divisions European Site & Verbund Management; Global Engineering Services; Corporate Environmental Protection, Health, Safety & Quality; Region Europe, Middle East, Africa.
| 2024 | Member of the Board of Executive Directors, Industrial Relations Director, Site Director of BASF Ludwigshafen, BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany |
| 2020 | President Region EMEA, BASF SE, Ludwigshafen |
| 2016 | Senior Vice President Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions EMEA, BASF Coatings GmbH, Münster, Germany |
| 2012 | Vice President Distribution Business Europe & Managing Director, BTC Europe GmbH, Monheim, Germany |
| 2011 | Head of Sales Formulation Technologies Europe, BASF Personal Care and Nutrition GmbH, Monheim |
| 2009 | Regional Sales Director Functional Products Europe, Cognis GmbH, Düsseldorf, Germany |
| 2006 | Regional Marketing Director Care Chemicals North Europe, Cognis GmbH, Düsseldorf |
| 2001 | Director Global Key Account Management, Cognis GmbH, Monheim |
| 2000 | Global Marketing Manager Fatty Alcohols, Cognis GmbH, Düsseldorf |
| 1999 | Head of Sales Lubricant Additives Central Europe, Ciba Spezialitätenchemie GmbH, Lampertheim, Germany |
| 1997 | Account Manager Lubricant Additives Germany, Ciba Spezialitätenchemie GmbH, Lampertheim |
