Surventis has appointed Dr Rebecca Koch as chief human resources officer and a member of its Executive Committee as the coatings technology company continues to develop its operations following its carve-out from BASF.
Koch took up the position on September 1 and will be responsible for further developing Surventis’ global HR organisation, with a particular focus on culture, leadership and building the people foundations needed to support the company’s performance ambitions.
She brings more than 15 years of international HR leadership experience to the role, most recently working at software group Nemetschek and logistics company DB Schenker, where she was responsible for as many as 50,000 employees across Europe.
Earlier in her career, Koch held several HR leadership positions with US medical technology company Becton Dickinson, including responsibility for Talent & Culture across the Greater Asia region while based in Singapore.
She has also led people development and change management at airberlin and began her career at Bain & Company.
Surventis CEO Jens Luehring said Koch brought extensive international experience to the newly independent business.
“Rebecca Koch is a highly accomplished HR leader, and we are fortunate to have won her for Surventis,” Luehring said.
“She has run HR at scale, in several industries and on three continents. I look forward to working with her.”
Koch said Surventis’ expertise, customer base and willingness to embrace new ways of working had attracted her to the position.
“Building the culture and leadership that turn this into results is exactly what I stand for. I look forward to getting started with the team,” Koch said.
Koch succeeds Markus Dinslacken, who guided the HR organisation through the carve-out from BASF. Luehring thanked Dinslacken for helping establish the foundations of the company’s HR organisation during the transition.
Koch studied business mathematics, holds a doctorate in behavioural finance and completed the International Directors Programme at INSEAD. She also regularly writes and speaks about artificial intelligence and its impact on HR.
Formerly BASF Coatings, Surventis operates brands including Glasurit, R-M and Chemetall and works with more than 42,000 customers across over 140 countries. The company employs around 10,700 people and generated sales of approximately €3.9 billion ($AUD 6.3 billion) in 2025.
Surventis is owned by funds managed by Carlyle, with BASF retaining a 40 per cent stake.