Kurt Bock, chairman of the board of executive directors of BASF SE, will share his perspectives on business and leadership with the Penn State Smeal College of Business on Friday, April 8. His visit is part of Smeal’s Executive Insights series.
Bock will take part in a moderated discussion with Charles H. Whiteman, John and Becky Surma Dean of Smeal, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. in the Struthers Auditorium, Room 110 of the Business Building. The event is free and open to the public, but online registration is required at www.smeal.psu.edu/insights.
Bock’s visit is the final of three spring semester Executive Insights sessions. John M. Arnold, chairman, CEO, and owner of PPC Lubricants, Inc. and Alan R. Guttman, CEO of Guttman Energy, Inc., spoke on March 18. Lara J. Warner, chief compliance and regulatory affairs officer of Credit Suisse, spoke on Feb. 26.
Bock has been with BASF, one of the world’s largest producers of chemicals, for 25 years. Headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany, BASF employs around 112,000 people. The BASF Group comprises subsidiaries and joint ventures in more than 80 countries and operates six integrated production sites and 390 other production sites in Europe, Asia, Australia, the Americas, and Africa.
Bock started his career with BASF in finance in 1985. He left from 1992 to 1998 and held several management positions with automotive supplier and electronics company Robert Bosch.
In 1998, he returned to BASF as chief financial officer of BASF Corporation in New Jersey. From 2003 to 2011, he was chief financial officer of BASF SE and, from 2007 to 2011, he was also chairman and chief executive officer of BASF Corporation, based in the United States. He assumed the role of chairman of the board of executive directors of BASF SE in May 2011.
Executive Insights is designed to complement the Smeal educational experience by bringing high-profile business leaders to the college to connect with students, faculty, staff, and administrators. Past guests include more than 25 leaders from organizations such as Archer Daniels Midland, Boeing, Dell, Deloitte, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Johnson & Johnson, Kohl’s, KPMG, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, PwC, Samsung, Siemens, Verizon, Tumi Holdings, Inc., and Urban Outfitters.