Employee stories from BASF in India

Women in Chemistry

At BASF, we value and include each individual and their unique strengths, so we can perform at our best at the workplace. Together, we contribute to the company's success. The commintment to diversity and inclusion of BASF in India improves our team's performance and increases creativity and innovation. Here Abha, Smriti and Ratnadeepa talk about what this means in practice.

Abha

Marketing and Sales (Intermediates)

BASF has been my second home for the last nine years. In 2007, I started as an awestruck engineering trainee fresh from undergraduate, working at the largest chemical company in the world. I have learned something new with each assignment and role I’ve been given and this keeps me excited about my job. I have the possibility to move across functions, businesses and geographies.

Aside from the varied work, I also have the opportunity to work with global teams. My first job at BASF was in textiles product development and I worked with two expatriates (a German and a South African) who were part of our team. They visited customers, spoke broken Hindi (India’s national language) and thoroughly enjoyed Indian food. BASF strongly believes in building diverse teams and this was a perfect example of our values in action. Diversity brings a fresh perspective, as my colleagues from overseas have different cultures and experiences, and this brings a new dimension to an issue that otherwise might have gone completely missed.

Smriti

Computational Chemistry (Digitalization in Research & Development)

I’ve worked at BASF for a little over 18 months and am encouraged by what I’ve seen so far. I am a strong believer in diversity as I think you can extract the best from each person and not have to rely on stereotypes. In India, a land of varied cultures and religions, we grow up with the concept of diversity. As a global company, BASF is bound to and does embrace diversity. For example, I am part of global teams at BASF and work with individuals from all over the world with diverse backgrounds, experiences, strengths, personalities and outlooks. We complement each other and we all work towards one overall goal.

My recommendation to fellow women is: Do not underestimate your strengths and capabilities. Look for opportunities to prove yourself and excel in your commitments. Determined women can do wonders and the 2016 Olympics is a very good example.

Ratnadeepa

Project Engineering (Engineering & Maintenance Asia Pacific)

I studied Chemical Engineering in Calcutta University, India. Chemistry has always been my passion, and I am interested to see how it is applied during the industrial process.  Being involved in the process of different engineering projects as well as the set-up of plants is an eye-opening experience. I can witness the end-to-end process and also can access the global technical know-how.

In a company with a history of 150 years, you have the opportunity to interact with so many different teams: experienced global technology team, the construction team, the environment, health and safety team, the site operation team, just to mention a few. This is a never-ending process of learning and I am always impressed by the great collaboration between people across different countries, business units and job functions.

Diversity & Inclusion
At BASF, we value the differences in our workforce as they are key to the success of our business. Through valuing and including each individual and their unique strengths, we create the chemistry and build the environment where our people can perform at their best and, together drive sustainable business growth. 

Lifelong Learning
This means development for now and future to BASF employees.

Employee Development
We believe “Talent is in Everyone”. All employees can develop and manage their career by making use of the structured and easy-to-use development approaches.