Interview with Peter Vanacker, Bayer MaterialScience

In an exclusive interview with the editor in chief of PU Magazine International the member of the executive committee of BMS and head of business unit polyurethanes, talks about strategic focus for sustained growth and innovation.

Peter Vanacker is satisfied with the ongoing restructuring process in the last three years and defines the strategic focus for Bayer MaterialScience’s business unit polyurethanes with the label “global and innovating”. He talks about the technological breakthrough BMS has made with the process of the gas phase phosgenation for the manufacturing of TDI. Future plans concerning the BMS systemhouse strategy and portfolio consolidation, especially the sale of Hennecke, are discussed. Further on Peter Vanacker provides an insight into the BMS innovation schedule and new products in development.

You can read the interview with Peter Vanacker in the upcoming issues of:

PU Magazine International, issue April/May 2007 and PUMagazin, issue May 2007

Peter Vanacker

Peter Vanacker has been head of the polyurethanes business unit since 2004. He was born in Wervik, Belgium, in 1966. He holds a degree in polymers engineering from the University of Gent and a master’s in business administration from the European Institute of Higher Education (EHSAL) in Brussels. Vanacker speaks six languages.

Vanacker joined Bayer N.V. in 1990 as technical account manager for Polyurethanes in Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. In 1994 he transferred to Bayer in Germany as Sales Manager for the global elastomers business and in 1996 was appointed Head of Marketing for the electrical encapsulation segment and specialty raw materials. Two years later he moved to Brazil where he took over as Head of Marketing and Sales, Polyurethanes for the South American market. Vanacker transferred to the USA in 2001 to assume the position of Vice President, Polyurethanes Specialties for the NAFTA region. In 2002, he was appointed Senior Vice President and Head of the Polymer Solutions Marketing Division in the Americas region. He was named Head of the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region at the former subgroup Bayer Polymers in 2003.