Changes to Wintershall Dea’s Leadership Team
As of 1 February, Kathrin Dufour, Claudia Kromberg, Sameh Sabry and Stephanie Raddatz will assume new roles as Senior Vice Presidents at Wintershall Dea. These changes to the leadership team are part of the broader company restructuring announced in September 2023.
Starting in February 2024, Kathrin Dufour will become Senior Vice President for Carbon Management & Hydrogen at Wintershall Dea. She will succeed Klaus Langemann, who has been instrumental in the development of Wintershall Dea's carbon management and hydrogen business over the past years. Mario Mehren, Chief Executive, said: "On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Klaus Langemann for his commitment and valuable contributions during his nearly 15-year tenure at Wintershall Dea. He played a key role in strategically establishing the Carbon Management & Hydrogen team at Wintershall Dea and drove forward the successful implementation of pilot projects and initiatives related to carbon capture and storage (CCS). I wish him all the best for the future."
With over ten years of global energy leadership experience and an international background, Kathrin Dufour brings significant expertise to her role. Previously, she served as the Senior Vice President for Digitalization & Technology, where she played a key role in scaling digital solutions and fostering Data Science and AI integration within the company. Besides her technical insights, Kathrin Dufour had held positions in various Finance functions such as the Vice President role for Finance for our Norwegian business unit.
Claudia Kromberg takes over from Robert Frimpong as Managing Director of Business Unit Germany. She is now responsible for all operating activities in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony as well as Wintershall Dea Germany’s headquarters in Hamburg. With 25 years’ experience within the company, Claudia Kromberg brings extensive geoscientific and engineering expertise to her new position. Previously, she was accountable as Senior Vice President Integrated Reservoir Management for the corporate reserves and resources process as well as services, governance and excellence in the field of reservoir development. Her BU Germany predecessor Robert Frimpong will become Senior Vice President Technical Support in the company’s headquarters.
Sameh Sabry has been appointed to lead the newly established business unit for the MENA region, overseeing operations in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, and the United Arab Emirates. With 23 years of experience, including several leadership positions in MENA countries, Sameh Sabry brings extensive expertise and regional insights to his new position. In 2019, he assumed his latest position as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Wintershall Dea's business unit in Egypt, before that he was the Managing Director of Wintershall Dea's business unit in Algeria.
From 1 February onwards, Stephanie Raddatz will take over from Michael Sasse and head the company’s communication as Senior Vice President Communications. Alongside her new role as Senior Vice President Communications, Stephanie Raddatz will continue to lead the Public Affairs and Government Relations department at Wintershall Dea, where she is in charge of political communication activities in Berlin and Brussels. During her twelve years at Wintershall Dea, Raddatz has held various senior positions, among others as Vice President of Corporate Services and Channels.
Raddatz predecessor Michael Sasse is leaving Wintershall Dea after more than 20 years at the company. “Michael Sasse has successfully worked for our company for over two decades. During this time, he strategically repositioned corporate communications and significantly contributed to building Wintershall Dea's reputation in the international public sphere. On behalf of the entire board, I would like to sincerely thank Michael Sasse for his dedication, commitment and professionalism throughout the years. I wish him continued success in the future”, said Mario Mehren, CEO of Wintershall Dea.
Recent developments:
The shareholders of Wintershall Dea (BASF and LetterOne) and Harbour Energy plc (Harbour) signed a business combination agreement in December 2023 to transfer Wintershall Dea’s E&P business and carbon capture and storage (CCS) licenses to Harbour. Closing of the transaction is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2024. In parallel, the restructuring of Wintershall Dea announced in September, which is intended to contribute to a stronger focus on the company's strategic priorities, will be partially implemented following the sale announcement.
About Wintershall Dea
Wintershall Dea is transforming from the leading European independent gas and oil company to become a leading European independent gas and carbon management company. We have more than 120 years of experience as an operator and project partner along the entire E&P value chain. The company with German roots and headquarters in Kassel and Hamburg explores for and produces gas and oil in 11 countries worldwide in an efficient and responsible manner. With activities in Europe, Latin America and the MENA region (Middle East & North Africa), Wintershall Dea has a global upstream portfolio and, with its participation in natural gas transport, is also active in the midstream business. And we develop carbon management and low carbon hydrogen projects to contribute to climate goals and secure energy supplies. More in our Annual Report.
As a European gas and oil company, we support the EU's 2050 carbon neutrality target. As our contribution we have set ourselves ambitious targets: We want to be net zero across our entire upstream operations – both operated and non-operated – by 2030. This includes Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect) greenhouse gas emissions on an equity share basis. Wintershall Dea will also bring its methane emissions intensity below 0.1 per cent by 2025. We endorsed the World Bank’s Initiative ‘Zero Routine Flaring by 2030’ and continue to support the initiative aimed at eliminating routine flaring in operated assets by 2030. In addition, we plan to support global decarbonisation efforts by building up a carbon management and hydrogen business to potentially abate 20-30 million tonnes of CO2 per annum by 2040. You can find more about this in our Sustainability Report.
Wintershall Dea was formed from the merger of Wintershall Holding GmbH and DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG, in 2019. Today, the company employs more than 2,000 people worldwide from almost 60 nations.
The shareholders of Wintershall Dea (BASF and LetterOne) and Harbour Energy plc (Harbour) signed a business combination agreement in December 2023 to transfer Wintershall Dea’s E&P business consisting of its producing and development assets as well as exploration rights in Norway, Argentina, Germany, Mexico, Algeria, Libya (excluding Wintershall AG), Egypt and Denmark (excluding Ravn) as well as Wintershall Dea’s carbon capture and storage (CCS) licenses to Harbour. Until closing, Wintershall Dea and Harbour will continue to operate as independent companies. The transaction is, among other things, subject to approvals of merger control and foreign investment authorities in several countries. Subject to these regulatory approvals, closing is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2024. See the full BASF release here.
