BASF’s Anne Berg Credits an Unplanned Career Path for Her Success

Anne Berg, vice president of Manufacturing, Agricultural Solutions Americas at BASF, was recently inducted into the Women in Manufacturing Hall of Fame. Her remarkable 28-year career spans multiple countries and roles. Starting as a process development engineer in Germany in 1996, she has worked in manufacturing leadership positions in Germany, Belgium, Spain, and the United States.

Throughout her career, Anne has embraced opportunities and adaptability, moving between roles that offered continuous learning and challenges. She was often the first woman in her roles, including a polystyrene plant in Belgium where they had to build a women's restroom specifically for her arrival.

Anne's leadership philosophy emphasizes diversity and inclusion, highlighting the importance of appreciating different backgrounds and perspectives. She candidly discusses challenges women face in manufacturing, particularly the delicate balance between being assertive and avoiding perception as aggressive.

A key piece of advice she offers young women is to remain open to unexpected opportunities and not adhere too rigidly to a predetermined career path. Outside of her professional life, she is a passionate horseback rider with a dream of potentially running her own horse barn someday.

Transcript

Welcome to Chemical Processing's Distilled podcast. This podcast and its transcript can be found at chemicalprocessing.com. You can also download this podcast on your favorite player. I'm Traci Purdum, editor-in-chief. Joining me on today's episode is recent Women in Manufacturing Hall of Fame inductee Anne Berg, vice president of Manufacturing, Agricultural Solutions Americas at BASF. Anne is one of 10 inductees recognized nationally as being outstanding female leaders in manufacturing. In her 28 years with BASF, Anne has held manufacturing leadership roles in Germany, Belgium, Spain, and the United States. Currently based in North Carolina, Anne is responsible for agricultural product manufacturing in North and South America, managing more than 500 colleagues. Throughout her career, Anne has been active in community organizations and BASF programs that promote the advancement of women in manufacturing. Thanks for joining me today, Anne, and congratulations on your hall-of-fame status.

Anne:  Thank you so much and thank you for inviting me. I'm really looking forward to this conversation.

Traci:  Well, I think it's going to be a fun conversation. I'm looking forward to it as well. And I guess let's set the stage a little bit. You joined BASF as a process development engineer in 1996, can you describe some of your path and how it led you to your current role?

Career Path

Anne:  Yes, happy to. So when I finished university in Germany, I looked at where to work, and I applied to various companies. I decided to go with BASF and joined them in 1996 as a young engineer, young in career, with no experience and real work life. I was very fortunate to be part of a team with a great team leader who involved me right away in a very exciting project to, together with experienced colleagues, develop a new process for a chemical. So I got in touch with many colleagues, and we worked closely together; it was an immersion in real work life after university. After five years, when we had the process developed far enough that we were building a pilot plan, so close to real commercialization of the process, I got a call and was asked when I would be interested in leaving that project and going to Antwerp in Belgium and to work there in a production plan for polystyrene. As it was called back in the day, an assistant plant manager.

So, the people who kept the plant running were the operating teams. And that was my step into manufacturing. I was like, okay, sounds exciting. I moved to Belgium, and I started there, and that was one of the things... I was the first woman in this manufacturing plant. So before I came, they had to build a lady's restroom. And it's not that they didn't want to have women there, was just there hadn't been anyone in that particular unit before. But they were all very welcoming. I enjoyed my time there very much, working with the teams closely to have this plan running the best we could. So, I have a really down-to-earth manufacturing experience. And then, I returned to Germany after four years, my delegation ended, and I joined the internal consulting team. I got the opportunity to travel around the world to work for different BASF businesses on specific projects around improvements at manufacturing sites, be it increased efficiency, making them fit for the future, be it unfortunately some also restructuring projects.

But all of that gave me a lot of insights into what other different locations that BASF has, what are the different businesses, what are cultural differences, what are differences in strategy and so on. So really a lot of learning in these three years. And at the end of these three years in consulting, I got the opportunity to join the performance chemicals division and become a vice president for production and supply chain in a global business unit. That was my first VP role in the company. It was in-house, not too big a team, but we had a lot of third-party companies delivering products to us. So, it was global, pretty diverse. And in my time there BASF acquired two big companies that contributed bits and pieces to the business unit I was in. So many changes are going on, new colleagues on board, new plans, new strategies.

So once again, an exciting role that started pretty small but grew over the five years I was in there. That allowed me to once again, learn a lot about what is out there and what different aspects to consider. And then in 2013 I was asked whether I would be interested to once again leave Germany. I moved to Tarragona in Spain and became the site leader of the Tarragona site, which is a pretty big site for BASF. And that was another VP role but totally different. I was the face of BASF in Tarragona, so not direct responsibility for the business units but for the entire side. A lot of external communications, relationship management, working with the neighbors, with the community, but also internally with all the people at the site. I enjoyed that experience very much in a totally different environment for me. Tarragona is close to Barcelona, so there was also a goodie in the location, but for me the challenge was really, it was a totally different kind of role.

And when that time, the four years there, came to an end, I was thinking about what next. I was not in a hurry to leave Spain because I really liked my role there. But then the offer came up: what about going to the US to North Carolina, being in Research Triangle Park here in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and being responsible for what I'm doing now, the manufacturing of agricultural products in North and South America in various plants. And I thought that sounded interesting. So I happily moved from Spain to the US and that's where I am now in a role that is once again vice president of manufacturing role. But the third time different focus. It's a lot of changes in the sites, it's a lot of capital investments in my manufacturing sites now and it's working with two US and one Brazilian site. Which sounds like two US sites that is pretty similar for sure, and it is not because they all have different histories. So once again, these challenging topics but also interesting learning experiences for me.

Benefits of Staying In One Place

Traci:  Now, spending that much time at one company is a great achievement. For some people that's hard to do, but I think the variety that you have just talked about could be one of the factors. Can you tell me a little bit more why you stayed so long at one company?

Anne:  I think there are various aspects. And I think the obvious, the first one, is I didn't see a need to change because I had so many changes by getting interesting and exciting roles that had a broad variety in where I was, but also which business it was, what were the particular challenges for that business at that time or for the role at that time. So a lot of continuous learning for me and experiencing new things without necessarily leaving the company. And the other driver was that I like what I was doing, and I still like what I am doing, and I like working with the teams and I like the culture that I'm experiencing and the continuous strive for improvement. So up to now I didn't see the need to change the company because I had so many opportunities for change inside the company.

Traci:  I've spoken to other folks at BASF, and I think it's part of the culture in the company, too. You had mentioned early on saying when you first started you were teamed with folks that had an eye out for your career in the beginning to get you to those places. So that says something about the quality of the work-life balance within BASF to make sure that when they have good folks, those good folks want to stay through those things. So that's impressive. And let's talk a little bit about how your career has taken you all over the world; we've just learned that, and I want to know how this experience has shaped you as a leader. Are there any cultural differences that have helped or hindered you along the way?

Learning From Cultural Differences

Anne: I would say it definitely shaped me as a person. It was shaping me as a person; it also shapes you as a leader, and I believe so. What I mean by that, is I'm a different version of myself than if I had stayed and never made any changes in my life, be it changes in location, cultural environment and cultural environment can also be a changing company. But if I had stayed put and never changed, I firmly believe I would be a totally different person now than what I've grown to be. I enjoyed the experience of seeing cultural differences, learning about cultural differences, appreciating the benefits of different cultures, and also seeing the watch-outs of different cultures. And my philosophy has always been to enjoy what I like and to try to learn and adapt and take the good things that I liked and be on the watch-out for those that were more challenging for me.

Because if you grow up in one country, you have your typical preferences or the way you are acting. So there are some watch-outs. But I think overall, seeing and experiencing the cultural differences helped me develop as a person, understand who I am and how I'm acting, and really be able to fine-tune how I'm doing things and to constantly improve. I think that's what seeing and living in a culturally different environment has brought to me. I don't think it hindered me in anything. I think it helped because I enjoyed being in different cultures, and in every different culture I was in, I saw big advantages, and I also saw watch-outs. And I think learning that tells you so much about yourself that it definitely helps you being a better leader as well.

Challenges for Women in Manufacturing

Traci: You mentioned you went to the one plant, and they did not even have a women's restroom. Not for any other reason; they just didn't have a need for it in the facility. Let's talk a little bit about some key challenges or barriers that women face in entering and advancing careers in the chemical industry.

Anne:  Yeah. I think luckily in most areas we are over that point that they need to build the facilities. Still there is rooted deep in many of us is this belief that men are more for the technical professions and women are more for other professions. And there's more and more people opening up to these thoughts. I would call it naive when I started, I thought I'm just myself. I like engineering, I'll do that. So in many situations I was the only woman in the room, but honestly I didn't notice it. Which has its advantages, if you just don't think about it, you don't think too much about the differences and you find the common topics and just what you need to address what you're talking about, what your topic is about. There is also, I think, a danger in being too naive and not looking at it at all.

So I think the benefit is being aware of the differences and the diversity and trying to get the best of it. The risk that I see, and that's I think the challenge that women are still facing, there is this tendency to have this imposter syndrome or to think I'm the minority. I need to prove myself even more, which can lead to additional challenges. So in my observation, I've learned a lot in the last years about thinking more about it and being more explicit about the differences, but in the sense of let's use our strength to our advantage and not so much get hung up on what are stereotypes or potential biases while being aware of the stereotypes and biases. So I think a little bit of the naivete that I had when I was early in career is not a bad thing. I might've been lucky that with all this naivete I still made it, but being too worried and too concerned would also not be my nature. So I think being aware of the diversity rather than the differences would be one of my thoughts to keep in mind. And then really thinking of what can I contribute? What can I bring to the table? Rather than what might others think of me as the other way that I try to actively think about the topics.

Navigating Gender Diversity

Traci: Are there any personal learnings that you've brought to the table based on gender diversity? Something that would not have happened without that diversity?

Anne:  There are topics, and for me, the one that strikes me the most and I observe repeatedly, and you might be able to relate to that one, there is this challenge between being assertive and not being perceived as aggressive. Where there is definitely a different perception based on gender. Which is, I don't think it's intentional by anyone, but it's a challenge I am facing and other women are facing when you are, by nature, you know what you're doing. You want to be assertive and you are assertive, it can easily be perceived as being aggressive or even a not so good person. While for a male it might be rather, oh, they know what they are doing, they want to have this, they're just assertive. So that's for me, personal learning where I am way more observing myself and a little bit on the watch-out that I don't fall into the trap or that I make sure that I am not perceived as too aggressive while I only want to be assertive. There are ways around, but sometimes when you have the personality and you are rather assertive by personal trait, there is the risk of being perceived like that.

And that was for me a personal learning where I just had to constantly tune it down a little bit, not change my personality completely but tune it down to avoid the trap. That's definitely challenge. But on the other hand, thinking of what's the value of having that diversity, I think I would spread that one further than only gender diversity. I see a lot of benefit in diversity in any kind of visible or invisible difference you can think of. Be it upbringing, nationality, gender, ethnicity, whatever you can come up with. I think having different backgrounds and different experiences around the table is extremely beneficial to any work and especially also to manufacturing because you get a broader variety of ideas as long as you make the step from diversity to inclusion, which then includes the example between assertive and aggressive. So as long as you allow that people are acting in a different way based on their experiences what the other topic in diversity, I think you get way more out of such a team than out of a non-diverse team.

Traci:  I agree. I think it's one of those things that you have to understand the perceptions, know that it's not necessarily something that's bad and it can be good, but it is hard to get past some of those misconceptions that folks have about women in any sort of role. So I do understand that.

Anne:  For me, to add on that, the aspect of, I personally like to focus way more on inclusion and on diversity. Because for me, I think the inclusion part is that where you accept the different approaches and the different backgrounds and that people might come over in a different way, but that's not necessarily always a bad thing if people are diverse.

Career Advice

Traci:  What advice would you give some young women considering going through your career path?

Anne:  My first advice is always be open and grab opportunities. So there is a balance between, in my opinion, what you can plan for and what you might want to decide spontaneously along the way. And my career was largely unplanned. I know not everyone wants to have it that unplanned and I think a little bit more planning might not be a totally bad idea. But I grabbed the opportunities when they were there, I was open to that and I was motivated to do that and I also had the ability to do it. That's not always the case. And a little bit of a plan is definitely helpful, but I think not having a too clearly outlined path and only one straight line in mind, but to allow for what could be another option, what could be a turn that I might want to take. And then let's see where it leads me is a good idea.

My example is I was in that first VP role with the interesting integrations and whatever, and it was five years and I knew I had to change. And then various options were on the table and then this Tarragona site leader role came up. I thought, yeah, Spain is not bad. Sounds interesting. And then I learned a little bit more in detail what it included, like negotiating with politicians and the administration and all the community relations. And that for me as a chemical engineer, I was like, do I really want to do that? So I almost regretted my decision to having said yes and especially regretted it when I came to the Tarragona side and my communications and external relations lady took me by the hand and said, oh, first thing you need to get to know the mayor of Tarragona and the mayor of here and this politician and this colleague from the administration, all in Spanish obviously, because if they don't know you and don't trust you, you don't get anywhere.

And I was like, oh my goodness, I'm an introvert. I'm natural introvert. I was like, oh, how will they look at me? That strange lady from Germany now having that role. That was unplanned. First I was scared of what was happening. If you ask me in hindsight that is over the four years in Tarragona, not only my biggest learning in that job, it was what I enjoyed most in the job was this component of non-technical work that I had never had the opportunity to have to that intensity before. That's what I mean with grab an opportunity and see what comes up. First it scared me, but at the end I said, you know what? That was the best part of it. I think being open to and trusting what others think could work for you is a good concept.

Funny Misconception of Chemical Engineers

Traci:  That is a good piece of advice for everybody. What is the funniest misconception people have about the work you do?

Anne: My mom is a physical therapist, but she worked very little during her life because she was mainly a mom bringing up my brother and myself back in Germany. So she worked only some hours. And then I went into engineering and then I started with BASF. And up to today, she's still struggling to understand. She always asked me, "I don't know what you are doing and how can you do that in the US?" She still cannot grasp that concept that you are a chemical engineer, but you're not sitting in a plant and you're not using, I don't know, a screwdriver or any other tool. But you are mainly working by talking, writing, sitting at your computer, meeting with people and whatever. I've tried to explain it, but it's hard to explain what I'm really doing. And for her it's totally impossible to understand what this work entails. But she's still happy with what I'm doing.

Traci:  My mom doesn't grasp what I do either, so I understand. Aside from your current honor of being inducted into the Women in Manufacturing Hall of Fame, are there other standout proud moments that you have?

Proud Moments and Surprise Revelations

Anne:  Yeah. Honestly, it's the small things and most of is related to feedback or personal contacts I had. And one example that comes to mind is after my four years in Tarragona, I got my farewell presents and we had these celebrations and everything, but the thing that still sticks with me and where I'm really proud of, I met the union representatives at the Tarragona site at the end, shortly before leaving, and what they told me was, "We'll miss you. It was great working with you. We had our discussions, we had our disagreements, but we always knew where you stood and we could always rely on your word and you were doing what you were saying. So we really enjoyed working and negotiating with you." That was for me, where I was really proud of getting that feedback from the union representatives after we had sometimes disagreements of course and moments like these are the ones that I remember where I think people were happy working with me. People appreciated me also as a person, which in that case was also true. And I achieved something together with my team members or others. We all achieved what we wanted to achieve and we still had fun with it.

Traci:  What would people be surprised to learn about you?

Anne: Close colleagues know, but not everyone does, I'm a passionate horseback rider. I have two horses and I participate in competitions. And I think if I won the lottery, which is not around the corner, but if I did, I would instead of doing my current role, which I like, I would run my own horse barn, enjoy riding. So I would work, I would not only sit around, but I would like to run my own business in the horse world and have all the flexibility I could come up with to ride whenever I want and do other things whenever I want. I would need the lottery for that because that requires a lot of financial stability to run that risk because it's a very costly business. But that's, for me, the thing what I don't think everyone knows that I have that silent hidden dream, which might never come true but you need some dreams in life.

Traci: Yes, indeed. And my in-laws are horse people. They do own a horse farm. And while there's plenty of time to ride, there's more time to muck stalls. So that's something to think about too.

Anne: Agreed.

Traci:  Well, Anne, I want to thank you for joining me today. It was a very inspiring conversation talking about inclusion and grabbing opportunities and not being fearful of not having everything planned out. So I appreciate that and I hope that you enjoyed the conversation as well. Subscribe to this free podcast via your favorite podcast platform to learn best practices and keen insight from industry leaders like Anne. You can also visit us at chemicalprocessing.com for more tools and resources aimed at helping you achieve success. On behalf of Anne, I'm Traci, and this is Chemical Processing's Distilled podcast. Thanks for listening. Thanks again, Anne.

Anne: Thank you.