German chemicals firm BASF has announced that its long-standing head of IR, Magdalena Moll, will be leaving for pastures new after 13 years in charge of her team in Ludwigshafen.
From May 1, 2016, BASF’s current vice president of corporate communications, Dr Stefanie Wettberg, will take over as senior vice president of investor relations, reporting directly to the company’s board of executive directors.
Moll, meanwhile, will be leaving for OMV, a Vienna-based energy company, as of June 1 this year. She will replace current IR head Felix Rüsch, who is shifting up in OMV’s ranks to become head of strategy.
Prior to her 13-year tenure as IR chief at BASF, Moll managed investor relations teams at consumer and industrial company Henkel and at Mannesmann, where she arrived after several years of working in the US capital markets.
During Moll’s time with BASF, the company has been a permanent fixture at the IR Magazine Awards – Europe, consistently winning the title of best overall IR at a large-cap firm, with Moll herself winning individual awards for the best IRO at a large-cap company over the years.
In 2015, BASF took home four awards, including gongs for the best IR in the materials sector and best IR in Germany. It was also the second-placed company in the IR Magazine Euro Top 100 rankings, and placed third in the Global Top 50.
OMV’s reshuffle comes after Reinhard Florey’s appointment as the oil firm’s new CFO, after previous executive and deputy chairman of the board David Davies tendered his resignation in January.
Elsewhere at BASF, Joseph Jones will assume responsibility for the firm’s corporate communications division following Wettberg’s move to investor relations. Jones is currently head of global communications for BASF’s Catalysts division in New Jersey.
