BASF Corp. recently announced it has appointed Wayne T. Smith to the position of chairman and CEO. He succeeds Hans Engel, who, as chief financial officer for BASF SE, will relocate to the company’s global headquarters in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and assume additional responsibilities on BASF’s Board of Executive Directors.

Smith began his career at BASF in 2004 as group vice president for the Regional Intermediates Business Unit in the U.S. In 2006, he was named president of the Catalysts division and executive vice president of BASF Corp. He became president of the company’s Polyurethanes division in Brussels, Belgium, in 2010, and was appointed to the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE in 2012.

In addition to his role as CEO and chairman, Smith will have global responsibility for the Catalysts, Coatings and Performance Materials divisions.

For more information, visit www.basf.com.