• William C. Wisdom,
  Regional Business Unit, North America, retires
   
• Markus Heldt to lead
  Regional Business Unit, North America
   
• Walter Dissinger New Head of the
  Regional Business Unit, Latin America

After almost 30 years with BASF, William C. Wisdom, Group Vice President, Agricultural Products Regional Business Unit, North America, has elected to retire at the end of September 2005.

Effective October 1, 2005, Markus Heldt (photo, left), Group Vice President, Agricultural Products, Regional Business Unit, Latin America, will succeed Bill Wisdom.

Markus Heldt will be succeeded by Walter Dissinger, presently Director of the Performance Chemicals Regional Business Unit, South America. Walter Dissinger will, as Group Vice President, assume his new responsibility as Head of the Regional Business Unit, Latin America, effective October 1, 2005.

Markus Heldt has more than 25 years of business experience in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industry. He worked for different companies before joining BASF in 2000 as Director Business Management Germany/Austria/Switzerland when BASF acquired American Cyanamid. Later, his responsibilities were expanded to include the Benelux countries. In 2003, he was assigned to his present position of Group Vice President, Regional Business Unit, Latin America that includes both the Agricultural Products and Fine Chemicals business in that region.

Walter Dissinger (photo, right), who was born in the United States of America, joined BASF as an apprentice, and then – after finishing his university studies – the Marketing & Sales Training Program of BASF where he was also assigned to projects in Argentina and Brazil. After different assignments in both Germany and Brazil for the Styrenics and Performance Chemicals divisions, he became responsible for the Performance Chemicals Regional Business Unit, South America in March 2003.

Bill Wisdom (photo, left) joined BASF Corporation in 1976 after having worked as Research Biologist. He served in several functions in the North American Agricultural Products business before taking responsibility for the Regional Marketing Crop Protection, East and South East Asia, based in Hong Kong in 1995. As of 1999 he was responsible for Agricultural Products in North America. With the acquisition of American Cyanamid he was assigned to lead the Regional Business Unit Agricultural Products, Latin America before he was then appointed to his current position in 2002.

With sales of €3,354 million in 2004 ($4.170 billion, calculated at the average exchange rate of 1.243), BASF’s Agricultural Products division is a leader in crop protection and a strong partner to the farming industry providing wellestablished and innovative fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. Farmers use these products and services to improve yields and quality of agricultural crops. Other uses include public health, structural/urban pest control, turf and ornamental plants. BASF aims to turn knowledge rapidly into market success.

The vision of BASF’s Agricultural Products division is to be the world’s leading innovator, optimizing agricultural production, improving nutrition, and thus enhancing the quality of life for a growing world population. Further information can be found on the web at www.agriculturalproducts.basf.com.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. As a reliable partner to virtually all industries, BASF’s intelligent solutions and high-value products help its customers to be more successful. BASF develops new technologies and uses them to open up additional market opportunities. It combines economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility, thus contributing to a better future. In 2004, BASF had approximately 82,000 employees and posted sales of more than €37 billion. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA), New York (BF), Paris (BA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.