Follow Martin on LinkedIn

Learn more about BASF’s Carbon Management program here.

Learn more about BASF’s #NetZero2050 target here

We referenced two existing ELEMENTary episodes: Carbon Management and Battery Materials (both in German).

Click here for more details about The European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC)

All topics of the podcast with Martin at a glance

Intro (00:37)

If you were a Podcast host yourself and had one free wish: What guest (no matter if dead or alive) would you like to invite for a chat? (02:06)

For those of you who don’t know him, here are some quick questions to get to know Martin a bit better. (02:56)

• Do you listen to podcasts yourself? (03:33)
• What did you want to be when you were young? (03:48)
• Do you have a role model, either personal or professional? (04:11)
• What excites you most about chemistry? (04:41)
• Which 3 qualities should a BASF CEO definitely have? (04:57)
• How do you approach important decisions? (05:22)
• Do you sometimes think about wanting to work in a laboratory again? (06:21)
• Do you get recognized on the street like a celebrity? (07:00)

Can you name some reasons why to be optimistic for the next months and for 2021 as a whole? (08:30)

What are the biggest challenges for BASF in the next years? (10:30)

You have been at BASF since 1988 (longer than Mona/Jan have been alive): How have you perceived the company's development over the years? (12:43)

You have been nominated as president of the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) in October 2020. Can you explain in a nutshell what are your task as president and what does this specific role mean to you? (15:29)

The European Green Deal: How does the future of the chemical industry and thus also of BASF in Europe look like? What are the demands of customers and society as a whole? (18:39)

BASF recently announced the ambitious #NetZero2050 target and also our social media community asks: How are we going to make this happen? (20:58)

How does saving the climate and the typical CEO “jet-set” life go together credibly? (25:54)

You already mentioned that we all can look at our own lifestyle. So to make this topic more tangible, do you have some specific tips or advises for our listeners how we can all by ourselves help to make the world a little bit more sustainable? (29:02)

What are the most important lessons you learned in your career and would you like to pass on to, for example, younger colleagues or as tips to others? (30:44)

As a father of four: Do you have some tips for our parents who are listening to us today how they can combine their career and being a parent? (33:20)

Where do you get your energy from? Or how do you cope with stress? (36:17)

Once the lockdown restrictions are eased: Is there something you are really looking forward to doing and was there also something you missed during the pandemic? (39:48)

Many people might think you have already succeeded in everything. Is there something you still want to achieve in your business or private life What do you want your legacy to be like? (42:21)

Outro (46:26)