News Market
BASF Coatings names Executive Committee
BASF Coatings has announced the leadership team that will run the business as an independent company from 1 July 2026 onwards. The new structure brings together executives who have built the Coatings business over many years and who have extensive experience in finance, digitalisation and transformation. The Executive Committee will be led by future Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jens Luehring.
“Great teams combine experience with new thinking – and this team unites both,” said CEO-designate Jens Luehring. “Some of these leaders have dedicated their careers to building this business over many years; others bring expertise gained over years from across the industry. Together they give us the reliability to continue supporting our customers at the highest level, and the strength to think bigger and move faster.”
Appointments to the Executive Committee
The Executive Committee defines the strategic direction of the company and drives business development. With effect from 1 July 2026, it will consist of the following members:
- Jens Luehring, CEO
- Michael Pontzen, CFO
- Ewout van Jarwaarde, CTO
- Frank Naber, EVP Surface Treatment
- Patrick Zhao, EVP Mobility Coatings
- Steve Arndt, EVP Refinish Coatings
- Dr Nils Lessmann, EVP Operations Mobility/Refinish
Jens Luehring is an internationally experienced leader with more than two decades of experience in corporate transformation, carve-outs, mergers & acquisitions, and finance. Born in Germany and resident in the USA since 2012, he spent 18 years in the industrial and medical gases industry. There he led, among other things, the carve-out and establishment of the former Linde activities in North and South America as an independent, private-equity-financed company. As President & CEO, he led the business for seven years and drove improvements in financial performance, operational excellence and growth.
As Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Michael Pontzen brings more than 25 years of experience in financial leadership and executive positions in the chemical industry. Over the past three years, he served as CFO of Nobian, a chemical company owned by The Carlyle Group and GIC. Prior to that, he was CFO at LANXESS for 18 years, where he headed Controlling, Corporate Finance and Investor Relations.
Ewout van Jarwaarde joins the team as Chief Transformation Officer (CTO). He brings broad experience in leading global businesses, implementing complex large-scale transformations, and unlocking performance and value creation potential. Most recently, he was CEO of Brenntag Essentials and a member of the Board of Brenntag SE, a DAX 40 company.
As Executive Vice President (EVP), Frank Naber is responsible for the Surface Treatment business, which includes the well-established Chemetall brand. He has been with BASF for more than two decades and has held leadership positions in the Coatings and Surface Treatment divisions in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President Global Surface Treatment.
Patrick Zhao leads Mobility Coatings as Executive Vice President (EVP). He has a proven track record in growing the automotive OEM business, particularly in the Chinese OEM market, as well as in serving automotive customers worldwide. He has been with BASF since 1999. His career encompasses technology, marketing and management roles in Asia-Pacific.
Steve Arndt strengthens the team as Executive Vice President (EVP) Refinish Coatings, with more than 30 years of experience in the automotive refinish industry, in both manufacturing and sales in North America and Europe. He spent six years at Axalta Coating Systems as Global Distribution Sales Director, where he was responsible for sales strategy in more than 140 countries.
Dr Nils Lessmann becomes Executive Vice President (EVP) Operations Mobility/Refinish and bears the principal responsibility for production and the supply chain of the Mobility and Refinish Coatings businesses, as well as for company-wide procurement. He has been with BASF since 2009 and has held senior business, technical and operations positions in Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Americas, most recently as SVP Global Operations Paints and Resin.
Appointments to the BASF Coating Executive Leadership Team
The Executive Committee is supported by the company’s corporate functions, including Digital & Information, Procurement, Human Resources, Safety, Sustainability and Innovation, as well as Legal and Communications.
David Johnston joins the team as Chief Digital and Information Officer, bringing more than three decades of global IT leadership experience across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Most recently, he served as CIO at Messer Americas, where he built an independent IT organisation following the company’s carve-out and led a multi-year technology transformation across cloud, data and analytics, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Prior to that, he held regional and global IT leadership positions at Linde and BOC Gases.
More information: www.basf-coatings.com