International. Starting August 1, BASF's Coatings division will deploy global units for its Automotive OEM Coatings Solutions and Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions businesses.
Patrick Zheng Yu Zhao will take charge of the new Global Automotive OEM Coatings Solutions business unit, based in Hong Kong. Prior to this role, he was Senior Vice President of Coatings Solutions Asia Pacific.
Zhao started his career at BASF in 1999 within the polyurethane business and held various positions in different divisions. He holds a master's degree in business administration from Donghua University and a bachelor's degree in polymer science from East China University of Science and Technology.
Chris Titmarsh will assume responsibility for the new Global Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions business unit, located in Münster, Germany. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President of Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions for EMEA, based in Germany.
Titmarsh studied Chemistry since 1992 and completed his graduate studies in Business Administration in 1999. In 2006, he began his career at BASF as a polymer research chemist. He held various positions in marketing and business management before moving to the Asia Pacific automotive business located in Hong Kong in 2015.
Frank Naber will assume responsibility for the Global Surface Treatment business unit, operating under the Chemetall brand, in Frankfurt, Germany. In this role, he succeeds Christophe Cazabeau, who will prepare for a new assignment.
Prior to this role, Naber was Senior Vice President, Automotive OEM Coatings Solutions EMEA. He studied business administration at the University of Münster and started his career at BASF in 2004. He worked in various regional and global roles in the Polyurethane division in Germany and Belgium.
In 2012, Naber joined the Coatings division, where he assumed various account and business management roles in the Automotive OEM Coatings business unit in Münster and Hong Kong.
