Dr Rolf Albach, Covestro
Dr Melanie Walther, University of Bremen
Oliver Erdenberger, M.A., Merck
Dr Wolfgang Hübinger, BASF
Dr Theresa Ludwig, SCHOTT
Dr Willis Muganda, BASF
Dr Julian Vogel, Rentschler Biopharma
Jun.-Prof. Dr Stephan von Delft, University of Münster
Representative JuWiChem
Niclas Buschner (2025)
Representative JuWiChem - resigned
Nils Meier, Büttelborn (2024)
until 30 June 2024
Prof. Dr Stephan Haubold, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences Idstein
until 24.03.2025
Elisabeth Meints, Hobum Oleochemicals, Hamburg
The Executive Board is directly elected by the members and assumes continuous tasks in the areas of organisation and administration. The Board is supplemented by a representative of the Young Industrial Chemists (JuWiChem). The representative of JuWiChem is appointed as a permanent member for one year by the Federal Executive Board of JuWiChem.
Rolf Albach studied chemistry in Bonn and at the Technical University of Munich, where he received his doctorate in 1992 under W. A. Herrmann in the team of U. Küsthardt. After a NATO scholarship in Orsay with J.-J. Girerd, he joined Bayer AG in 1994. After holding management positions in R&D, sales and post-merger integration, he now develops projects in the areas of recycling management, automotive interiors and flame retardants. He also supervises dissertations and teaches at Aachen University of Applied Sciences. Rolf Albach holds a double MBA degree from WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management (Vallendar) and Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (Chicago).
Rolf Albach has been involved in environmental policy on a voluntary basis for 40 years, both with NGOs such as the Local Agenda and the SolarImpulse Foundation as well as in local and regional politics, e.g. in the Commission for Regional and Structural Issues of the Cologne District Government, on the Board of Directors of Cologne's urban drainage system, the Operating Committee of Cologne's waste management companies and the Environment Committee of Cologne City Council.
For him, the VCW is about building a community of people with a connection to the chemical industry, beyond chemists, the growth of business chemistry and the interlinking of chemistry, economics and business with regard to the transformation processes that lie ahead. Cooperation between specialist groups, such as a current project between the VCW and phosphorus chemistry, is important to him.
Oliver Erdenberger studied Business Administration and Industrial Management at Provadis University, based at Industriepark Höchst in Frankfurt. He started his professional career at Clariant in 2002. After holding various positions in IT and marketing, he moved to Celanese in 2007. He worked in global supply chain management there until 2012. From 2012, he focussed on management consulting. Initially at Camelot Management Consultants and from 2015 at Accenture. In consulting, he supported numerous projects in the chemical industry, primarily in the area of supply chain & operations. At Accenture, he was also responsible for the chemicals community in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In 2019, he continued his career at Clariant. There he supported global transformation projects, most recently as Head of Supply Chain for BU Pigments. Since 2022, he has been working in the Transformation Office for Merck Life Science, continuing to focus on Supply Chain & Operations. With his involvement in the "Association for Chemistry and Business", he wants to contribute to a close interlinking of theory and practice in the discussion of management issues. In his view, it is particularly important to be able to make statements on how to operate successfully in the long term - despite the energy crisis, inflation, high taxes, bureaucracy and the increasing shortage of skilled workers in the process industry. In addition to focussing on the well-known large companies, it is important to him to keep the numerous medium-sized companies at the centre of the discourse in order to be able to develop perspectives for the industry as a whole.
Wolfgang Hübinger studied technical chemistry at the Technical University of Berlin, where he graduated with a degree in engineering and obtained his doctorate in polymerisation technology under K.-H. Reichert in 1989. He was able to put his interdisciplinary theoretical knowledge of chemistry and technology into practice when he joined BASF AG in Ludwigshafen: Several processes were improved or developed from scratch as head of process development in the plastics laboratory. Two new processes were transferred through all development stages from the idea to production scale. As a project manager and in the management of a large production plant, economic issues in the form of cost calculations and project accounts also came to the fore.
After the complete reorganisation of a production structure (replacement of three large old plants with one new plant), Wolfgang Hübinger sought new challenges and found them in the global strategic planning of BASF SE: first in the strategic management of a division and the management of the development of the global production structure, then in a strategy project and in the management of the Ludwigshafen Verbund site. Since 2007, he has held management positions in BASF's Petrochemicals division, in particular for research management, strategic marketing and concept development for strategies, roadmaps and strategic projects.
The development of long-term strategies (Industry 4.0, Circular Economy, Bioeconomy) and the interdisciplinary training of (industrial) chemists, engineers and business informatics specialists are the current focus of his interests and work.
At the VCW, Wolfgang Hübinger aims to promote the networking of "balancing" professions (chemistry, process engineering, business administration, IT). He would like to further develop the lecture events, especially the VCW annual conference, and the interdisciplinary training of the above-mentioned professions (e.g. in the GDCh mentoring programme) with his continued involvement on the board of the "Association for Chemistry and Business".
Theresa Ludwig studied chemistry at the Technical University of Munich, where she completed her doctorate at the Chair of Macromolecular Chemistry. Her master's and doctoral theses in the field of additive manufacturing of heterogeneous catalysts were carried out in cooperation with Clariant. She started her professional career in 2019 at 3M Technical Ceramics as a Specialist Materials Research in the field of product and materials development. In 2021, she moved to Operations as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and achieved certification by leading improvement projects and coaching Green Belts. Since August 2023, she has been working at SCHOTT in the Electronic Packaging division as Innovation and Business Development Manager.
Theresa Ludwig has been involved in the VCW editorial team since 2020, founding the VCW regulars' table in Kempten and the virtual topic table Opportunities for All. She also works outside the VCW to ensure that young people gain enthusiasm and orientation for STEM professions and endeavours to promote diversity and equal opportunities in chemistry. Through her involvement on the Executive Board, she aims to promote intergenerational dialogue and an understanding of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry among students and young professionals. In order to gain different perspectives on innovation topics, such as digitalisation, and to discuss their potential and challenges, she would like to promote exchange with other GDCh specialist groups or associations from other STEM disciplines.
Willis Muganda studied chemistry and completed his doctorate in the field of physical chemistry (chemistry and physics of biointerfaces) at the University of Siegen. During his studies, he joined the JCF (JungesChemieForum) in 2014 and was elected chairman of the regional forum in Siegen (JCF-Siegen) in 2015. In 2017, he decided to take on new challenges and was elected to the national board of the JCF (JungesChemieForum). During his two-year term on the Federal Board, he was responsible for international relations and promotional materials. Together with his fellow board members, he achieved many milestones, including working closely with industry partners such as BASF, Bayer, Evonik, Merck, Altana, Sanofi and ISC3 to drive forward topics such as innovation, sustainability, digitalisation and career development and to increase financial support for JCF activities. In addition, he initiated the establishment of an Equal Opportunities Commission within the JCF, which today plays an important role in promoting equal opportunities within and outside the JCF.
From October 2018 to August 2022, he was head of the finance team of the International Younger Chemists Network (IYCN). The IYCN is now an interesting global network for chemists who are passionate about the Sustainable Development Goals and other current topics in chemistry. He is also one of the initiators of the VCW regulars' table in Siegen, which he has been leading together with two other members since 2019, and is planning to set up a new round table in Ludwigshafen due to his new job at BASF.
Since last year, he has been working at BASF as an expert in the search for renewable raw materials, technology scouting and the acceleration of sustainability transformation in various chemical value chains. His first term on the VCW Board was a joint success with the entire VCW Board in planning various events and projects that met with great interest in politics, science and the chemical industry. His goal for his future work on the VCW Board is to intensify the dialogue between the chemical industry and the political class. In addition, the VCW room of expertise is to be opened up to all international representatives of chemistry and business by addressing topics that are of great importance for the transformation of the chemical industry not only in Germany, but throughout Europe.
Julian Vogel studied business chemistry at the University of Ulm and was honoured with the VCW's Business Chemistry Study Award in 2019 for his academic achievements. He then completed his doctorate in organic chemistry in the field of "Systems Chemistry" at the University of Ulm with a research stay at Indiana University in the USA. At the same time, he gained practical experience as a working student in the Future Insights department at Merck KGaA. Since August 2023, he has been working as a Proposal Manager in Business Development at Rentschler Biopharma SE. Further information at LinkedIn.
In 2016, J. Vogel founded the JuWiChem (Young Business Chemists) local group in Ulm and expanded it over the next six years with other students as chairman. He represented the interests of the young VCW members on the JuWiChem national board for two years and was responsible for project management and the organisation of the annual conference (JuWiChem Day) as project manager. After actively participating in several VCW projects, he would like to further expand his involvement on the VCW Board. He is particularly keen to represent the student and career-entry members. He would like to make the transition from studying to working and, above all, the transition from JuWiChem to the VCW easier for members.
Stephan von Delft studied business chemistry at the University of Münster, where he completed his doctorate under Jens Leker in 2014. After a postdoctoral stay at the Business School of the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, he moved to the Adam Smith Business School at the University of Glasgow in Scotland as a Lecturer in Strategy in 2015. In 2020, he returned to the Department of Business Chemistry at the University of Münster as Junior Professor of Chemistry and Entrepreneurship. His professorship is jointly funded by the REACH Euregio Start-up Centre and the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy at the University of Münster.
In his research, he focuses on the development of new business models, digital platforms and the sustainability of new technologies in the chemical industry and related sectors. His work has been funded by the British Council, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Innovate UK and the Chemical Industry Fund (FCI), among others. He is co-editor of the reference book "Business Chemistry: How to Build Thriving Businesses in the Chemical Industry" (Wiley) and contributed to the study "From Megatrends to Business Success: Implications of Megatrends for Management in the Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry" (together with Provadis University and the VCI).On the board of the VCW, he would like to promote networking between industry and the business chemistry degree programmes and encourage the exchange of information between VCW members on current management issues in the chemical industry, particularly in the areas of digitalisation and sustainability.
Melanie Walther studied business chemistry with a focus on technology management and organic chemistry at the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel. After research stays in Wales and Sweden and various internships in the chemical industry, she completed her doctorate at the Chair of Organic Functional Materials at the University of Bremen on the functionalisation of molecular switches. She is currently in the final stages of her PhD and is planning to found a start-up in the chemical industry together with two colleagues.
During her studies, she was involved in various student initiatives - from the regional association WiChem Kiel - Wirtschaftschemiker Kiel e.V. to the JCF (JungesChemieForum) JCF and the Young Business Chemists JuWiChem in various positions. After her time as Chairwoman of the JuWiChem Federal Board, she remained a member of the VCW core team. She was committed to the concerns of JuWiChems in the VCW and, for example, advocated for broader communication with members and the resulting better networking in the VCW editorial team. During her term of office as a VCW Board member from 2020 to 2023, she pursued these goals and organised various events as part of the team, such as the 2021 annual conference on the future of the pharmaceutical industry and events on the topic of the circular economy. In the coming board period, she would like to continue to promote the topics of sustainability/circular economy and place a stronger focus on the role of start-ups in the chemical industry.
Niclas Buschner is studying industrial engineering at Merseburg University of Applied Sciences and was awarded the prize for the best engineering thesis of his year in 2024 for his bachelor's thesis on the integration of electrolysers in wastewater treatment plants. He is currently writing his master's thesis on the infrastructural requirements for green chemistry. He gained professional experience at MIBRAG GmbH, where he worked on concepts for electrolysis with subsequent refinement into platform chemicals and on power-to-heat projects, and currently at Infra-Zeitz Servicegesellschaft mbH, where he is supporting site development towards green chemistry.
He has been involved with the Young Industrial Chemists (JuWiChem) since 2022 and has been a member of the Federal Executive Board since 2025. Within the organisation, he is particularly committed to sustainability, the career entry of young members and networking between students, science and industry.
The core team of the VCW currently includes:
The Association for Chemistry and Business (VCW) can be supported by an advisory board made up of well-known personalities from the chemical industry and neighbouring sectors. These advisory boards provide important input from companies and industry, as the interests of industry and those employed in industry play a major role in the VCW's activities.