30 Sept 2025
BASF appoints Roger States as Head of Marketing and Chris Staff as Head of Sales
Appointments support BASF’s commitment to innovation, customer partnerships and sustainable solutions for Australian agriculture
Roger States steps into the marketing role from within BASF, most recently supporting the Agricultural Solutions business as the Crop Systems & Innovation Lead. With more than 27 years’ experience in agriculture, he began his career as an agronomist before holding senior positions with GRDC and Nufarm before joining BASF in 2021. Originally from Western Australia, Roger spent much of his career working directly with growers, providing a strong foundation for his leadership in marketing and portfolio management.
“I’m excited to step into this role and continue building strong connections with our customers,” Roger said. “Having started my career in the field, I know how important it is to keep growers’ needs front of mind in everything we do at BASF.”
Chris Staff joins BASF as Head of Sales with nearly 30 years’ experience, including 16 years in agriculture. He has held
senior leadership roles at Bayer in both Australia and Singapore, driving transformations across sales, marketing, digital farming and commercial strategy in the APAC region.
“I’m thrilled to join the BASF team and lead our sales organisation,” Chris said. “This is an exciting opportunity to work closely with our customers and partners to deliver real value and long-term success across the sector.”
Parvana Wali, Head of Agricultural Solutions for BASF Australia and New Zealand, said the appointments come at a pivotal time for the business.
“Roger and Chris bring a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of grower needs,” Parvana said. “Their combined expertise will help us drive innovation, strengthen customer partnerships and deliver sustainable solutions for Australian agriculture, enhancing our flexibility to respond to customer needs.”
These appointments reinforce BASF’s commitment to innovation and customer-focused solutions as the company continues to support the growth and resilience of Australia’s agricultural industry.
About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division
Everything we do, we do for the love of farming. Farming is fundamental to provide enough healthy and affordable food for a rapidly growing population, while reducing environmental impacts. That’s why we are working with partners and experts to integrate sustainability criteria into all business decisions. With €919 million in 2024, we invest in a strong R&D pipeline, combining innovative thinking with practical action in the field. Our solutions are purpose-designed for different crop systems. Connecting seeds and traits, crop protection products, digital tools and sustainability approaches, to help deliver the best possible outcomes for farmers, growers and our other stakeholders along the value chain. With teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we do everything in our power to build a sustainable future for agriculture. In 2024, our division generated sales of €9.8 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or our social media channels.
About BASF in Australia and New Zealand
BASF serves key industries in the agriculture, coatings, manufacturing and mining sectors, and posted sales of about €434 million in Australia and New Zealand in 2024. As of the end of 2024, the company had 363 employees and operated 6 production sites across Agricultural Solutions, performance products and functional materials and solutions. BASF has been active in Australia for over 100 years, and over 60 years in New Zealand. Further information is available on www.basf.com/au.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises, as core businesses, the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care; our standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €65.3 billion in 2024. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.