Local Management Team
Our country leadership team drives the different business and service units of BASF in Vietnam. They provide direction and leadership that steers this high-performing organization to grow the existing businesses and tap into new opportunities in this dynamic country.
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Erick Contreras has been driving the success of BASF Vietnam since 2019 as the company head. As of April 2025, he assumed the dual role of Managing Director of BASF Vietnam and Head of Business Management, Performance Materials. In his position, Erick ensures the License to Operate of the company while driving business and people development, sustainability and advocacy.
Erick actively participates in different business associations, supporting European businesses to thrive and grow sustainably in Vietnam through strategic dialogues. Formerly a Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Green Growth Sector Committee for EuroCham Vietnam, Erick is now Vice-Chairman of EuroCham’s Executive Board and a Board Member of the German Business Association (GBA).
Erick held various management positions in Intermediates and Performance Chemicals divisions in Hong Kong and Australia. He joined BASF in 2007 as Technical Sales Manager, Gas Treatment, Intermediates, BASF Australia Ltd. and became Senior Manager, Intermediates, BASF East Asia Headquarters Ltd., Hong Kong in 2010. He was then appointed Senior Regional Manager, ASEAN Business Development, Intermediates in 2016 and Vice Director, Fuel and Lubricant Solutions, Performance Chemicals based in Hongkong in 2017.
Prior to BASF, he spent 10 years with Shell in various roles in Malaysia and the Philippines. Erick holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of the Philippines and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Manchester. He is married and has three children.
![Eine Fläche von rund 64.000 Quadratmetern - das entspricht 13 Fußballfeldern - umfasst der Steamcracker II, die größte einzelne Anlage am Standort Ludwigshafen der BASF. Der Cracker ist auch das „Herzstück" der Verbundproduktion. Seit 1981 ist dieser Gigant in Betrieb und spaltet unter Zusatz von Wasserdampf bei etwa 850 Grad Celsius Rohbenzin auf. Dabei entstehen im wesentlichen Ethylen und Propylen, beides unverzichtbare Grundstoffe für die Herstellung vieler Produkte in Ludwigshafen.
Abdruck honorarfrei. Copyright by BASF.
Steam cracker II, the largest individual plant at BASF's Ludwigshafen site, covers a surface area of about 64,000 square meters, which is about the size of 13 soccer fields. The steam cracker is also the heart of BASF's Verbund production strategy. This giant plant has been operating since 1981 and uses steam to crack naphtha at about 850°C [1,562°F]. This process leads primarily to ethylene and propylene, both indispensable feedstocks for manufacturing numerous products in Ludwigshafen.
Print free of charge. Copyright by BASF.](/api/imaging/focalarea/16x9/2560x/dam/jcr%3Ab51d7c76-7ee8-35be-8c71-0a673246a35a/Ludwigshafen%20%20Steamcracker.jpg "Eine Fläche von rund 64.000 Quadratmetern - das entspricht 13 Fußballfeldern - umfasst der Steamcracker II, die größte einzelne Anlage am Standort Ludwigshafen der BASF. Der Cracker ist auch das „Herzstück\" der Verbundproduktion. Seit 1981 ist dieser Gigant in Betrieb und spaltet unter Zusatz von Wasserdampf bei etwa 850 Grad Celsius Rohbenzin auf. Dabei entstehen im wesentlichen Ethylen und Propylen, beides unverzichtbare Grundstoffe für die Herstellung vieler Produkte in Ludwigshafen.
Abdruck honorarfrei. Copyright by BASF.
Steam cracker II, the largest individual plant at BASF's Ludwigshafen site, covers a surface area of about 64,000 square meters, which is about the size of 13 soccer fields. The steam cracker is also the heart of BASF's Verbund production strategy. This giant plant has been operating since 1981 and uses steam to crack naphtha at about 850°C [1,562°F]. This process leads primarily to ethylene and propylene, both indispensable feedstocks for manufacturing numerous products in Ludwigshafen.
Print free of charge. Copyright by BASF.")