Clariant announced a planned leadership transition within its Business Unit Care Chemicals upon the retirement of Christian Vang in 2026. Marcelo Lu will join Clariant in January 2026 as President Designate for Care Chemicals & Americas and will be a member of the Executive Steering Committee. For the first six months, he will be based at Clariant?s global headquarters in Pratteln, Switzerland, where he will contribute to Group-level priorities and collaborate closely with senior leaders across the organization.
During this period, Christian Vang will continue to lead Care Chemicals as President, ensuring continuity and focus on strategic goals. Marcelo Lu launched his career at BASF in 2006 and has held various commercial and general management positions in Germany, Hong Kong, Canada, the U.S and Singapore. His roles included serving as the President of BASF Canada Inc. from 2016 to 2021, and subsequently as the Senior Vice President, Care Chemicals North America at BASF Corporation.
In 2024, he was appointed to his current role as President of BASF Asia Pacific (excluding China) & Non-Executive Director BASF India Ltd., based in Singapore. Christian began his career at Clariant in February 2008 as the regional Head of Asia Pacific. He has held several key positions within the organization.
In 2022 he was appointed President for Care Chemicals & Americas and Member of the Executive Steering Committee.
