MAGAZINE FOR EMPLOYEES 1/2023 | English Edition Complaining Won’t Help! Janis McDavid trains our courage and optimism. PAGE 14 License to Work Safety depends on each and every individual. PAGE 16 TIME TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING! CEO Matthias Zachert on the need to focus on what’s most important – and his optimistic outlook that things will pick up again after 2023! PAGE 6

18 Lancer and Success/Puzzles and Competitions 20 Small, Skilled, and Willing to Work In Widnes, England, a new LANXESS site produces key flavor chemicals for the F&F BU. 24 Quality Works Enjoy wraps with a clear conscience. PEOPLE & TEAMWORK 14 Complaining Won’t Help! Motivational coach, speaker, and world explorer Janis McDavid shares tips on how each and every one of us can stay optimis- tic, even in challenging times. 19 A Shot in the Bathtub Anne Kuch sheds light on benzoates in our employee column. 23 Asking Around the Globe Colleagues report on what is currently keeping them busy. 04 LANXESS Worldwide FOCUS 06 Time to Hit the Ground Running Matthias Zachert is optimistic and be- lieves the group is generally well posi- tioned. “If we all discipline ourselves, we’ll certainly move on to better times.” 11 A Segment Has Grown IFF’s business has been integrated into the MPP BU. Among other measures, MPP founded the new Care business line for this purpose. PRODUCTS & QUALITY 12 FIT – Here’s What’s Next Four of our colleagues provide insights into what they are currently working on and the challenges they have to overcome in the process. 16 License to Work Their mission: the safety of our facilities worldwide. This is what Andreas Gröschl and the PTSE team are on duty to ensure. 01/2023 | Xpress 03 l n e g ü m h c S o l i h T / k c o t S e b o d A / S S E X N A L : s o t o h P k c o t S e b o d A : o t o h p r e v o C

120,000 less tons of carbon will be emitted by LANXESS in the future. The company sources chlorine, caustic soda, and hydrogen for the Leverkusen and Uerdingen sites through its partner- ship with Covestro, around one- third of which is produced using energy from hydropower. PLAYFULLY LEARNING Worldwide. In 2022, LANXESS again invested in corporate citizenship projects in the fields of education, climate action, water, culture, and other areas. All in all, we supported 138 projects, the lion’s share of which were 97 initiatives in the field of edu- cation and 17 related to climate action. One such project, the “Together for the Climate” campaign in Brazil, formed a perfect sym- biosis. Here, roughly 5,200 students ages 7 to 11 participated in 66 events related to the environment. The equipment included VR headsets and an inflatable planetarium – who says learning can’t also be fun? THREE QUESTIONS FOR Tanja Deubner, Head of Strategy, LPT BU “Green Innovator” Mrs. Deubner, LPT has recently started offering Scopeblue® versions for three of its Lewatit products based on sustainable raw materials. What role does the issue of sustainability play for BU? An important one – because we’ve set ourselves the clear goal of positioning ourselves in the market as a “green inno- vator.” Indeed, we’re already a kind of sustainability pioneer with our products – by making clean (drinking) water possible and enabling processes such as the production of green hydrogen, the absorption of carbon from the ambient air, or battery recycling. The fact that we now also offer our products in a more sustainable form – with a significantly lower carbon footprint – was simply the next logical step. Why did you choose these three products exactly? In total, we offer more than 160 different types of Lewatit. So we first had to find out which products would deliver the greatest effect in terms of cut- ting carbon emissions. This is, of course, particularly the case where our product makes up a large part of the final product. So we placed the focus on our drinking water cartridges. Another argument in favor of this area of application is that it is very close to the consumer – and sustainable products are, after all, becoming increasingly important to customers. Using Lewatit Scopeblue®, we can reduce the carbon footprint of these products by up to 67 percent. And they now consist of over 90 percent biocircular raw materials. What’s the response like from customers? There’s definitely a great deal of interest. We are one of the first suppliers of sustainable alter- natives in our market segment, something we are extremely proud of. Nevertheless, it is clear that pushing ahead with our green transformation in times of multiple crises is not easy. This is because we have to pass on the higher prices we pay for sustainable raw materials to the market. However, the fact that we can offer our customers an alternative solution that they can quickly and easily add to their product range certainly makes us an attractive partner. That’s why we definitely intend to con- tinue expanding our sustainable portfolio in the coming years. 01/2023 | Xpress 05

CEO Matthias Zachert calls a spade a spade – “it will be a challenging year, no one knows how the war in Ukraine will con- tinue to play out.” But he isn’t letting this stop him. After all, what’s the point of con- stantly repeating bad news? Making the best of the given circumstances – that’s the mission for the new year. And there’s also much that we’ve already achieved. Mr. Zachert, a seemingly simple question for starters: What’s your perspective on the new year? Will it be better or worse than 2022? If you had asked me that in November, I would have found it much more difficult to answer than I do today. Back then, I viewed the situation much more critically. But now there’s also some positive news: We’ve left the coronavirus and its effects behind us to a certain extent. China is back in the game. And as terrible as the war in Ukraine is – we’ve overcome many of its consequences. But not all of them – I’m particularly referring to the high en- ergy prices in Germany. They’re going to weigh on us in 2023. And how everything will play out in Ukraine remains to be seen. The experts are still debating whether or not there’ll be a recession. In short, 2023 will certainly be a challenging year with nu- merous uncertainties. What does that mean exactly? We need to be fully focused on the busi- ness. In difficult times, we need to remain financially flexible. Cash is now the num- ber one priority, everything else has to take a back seat. Now is not the time for things that aren’t absolutely essential. In the inflationary environment in which we now operate, proper pricing is a critical is- sue. We now use monthly prices in many areas so that we can react quickly. Many employees have never experienced such a situation in their entire careers. They have to remain extremely level-headed and, above all, agile. We live on our mar- gins and have to keep them high wherev- er possible. Which, admittedly, becomes more difficult in times of recession. But as I said, now it’s all about making money and becoming more profitable. And that applies to the “old” LANXESS business units as well as the newly acquired ones. Following the recent acquisitions, the Consumer Protection segment will become our most important area of business in the future. What makes this market so attractive? Two aspects: For one thing, the Consum- er Protection business is less dependent on the economy – that’s a real stability driver in these uncertain times. And sec- ondly, this area is known So how well is LANXESS positioned to withstand war, inflation, and slumps in demand? We’re well positioned to weather the cur- rent global economic downward spiral. In 2022, we were able to benefit from the full order books that we carried over from the end of 2021. Our sales teams were particularly successful in passing on the higher raw material prices, so that we were able to do brisk business up to and including the third quarter. In the case of energy, however, this became increasingly difficult over the course of the year, as we also noticed restraint on the part of cus- tomers overall towards the end of the year. And now it’s a matter of tackling all these challenges with a cool head. Medium-Term Net Sales Targets by Group Segment Consumer Protection Specialty Additives Advanced Intermediates ~40% ~30% ~30% 01/2023 | Xpress 07

egions Share of Net Sales and CapEx in Percent 67.1% 66.4% EMEA APAC 26.5% 46.1% 46.1% 20.6% 10.5% 4.5% 2016 2022 2016 2022 Net Sales in the Region CapEx: Capital expen- ditures in construction, expansion, and mainte- nance ies. This topic is on the board agenda for us almost every month. We are in close contact with the management of IPG. The market is gigantic, and major customers approach us and the IPG team directly be- cause we are the largest producer of iron oxides. If e-mobility continues to grow as it has and LFP technology with iron oxides becomes established, this could catapult the IPG business unit into completely dif- ferent regions. We will see whether all this pans out in two or three years. LANXESS was extremely successful in the USA in 2022. What makes the US market so attractive? The importance of the US market can be seen in the figures during the crisis. The LAB and PLA business units have many of their sites in the United States and were able to benefit. Energy prices there are low compared to Europe, the economy there is strong, and policy is generally favorable to industry. Just for comparison, energy costs used to account for around two to four percent of a product’s production costs in Germany. Today, this share has in- creased to 10 to 20 percent. These costs are no longer competitive internationally. This is another reason why expanding our business in the US to such an extent helped us a great deal during the energy crisis last year. Today, we generate around 1.9 billion euros in net sales there. In 2016, this figure stood at only 0.7 billion. It’s no coincidence that Frederique van Baarle, as a new Board Member, will be based out of our headquarters in Pitts- burgh. We want to become even stronger there, and Frederique van Baarle knows our business very well. She will certainly recognize opportunities early on whenev- er they arise. How worthwhile is it to operate en- ergy-intensive facilities in Europe or Germany? We have said for years that our heart beats here in Germany and especially in North Rhine-Westphalia. In recent years, we’ve invested more than 200 million eu- ros per year in our German sites – primari- ly maintenance or expansion investments, but also investments in technological upgrades and investments in sustainabil- ity technologies. But in this case as well, we’ve entered a new era, if I may use the words of the German chancellor. A new era in the sense that it is now a question of defending the German sites in the face of tougher competition. In order to remain successful, the is- sue of sustainability plays an import- ant role. The F&F BU plans to offer sustainable alternatives for all of its 01/2023 | Xpress 09

SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES – GROWTH IN THE CONSUMER MARKET CEO Matthias Zachert has never MPP at a Glance ness lines. In addition, the company es- tablished BL Care, which brings together products in the areas of Home & Personal Care and Hygiene & Infection Prevention. The most important brand in the area of Personal Care is NeoloneTM. Neolone™ protects personal care products such as facial creams, body lotions, shampoos, conditioners, and deodorants from bac- teria, yeasts, and molds. Preservatives for the Home Care sector are covered by the brands Kathon™, Bioban™, and Preventol®, among others, and are found in dishwashing and laundry detergents. In addition to preservatives, BL Care is also home to the Rely+On™ product line within Hygiene & Infection Prevention, as well as other highly effective disinfectant formulations. They are widely used in sur- face disinfectants for health care facilities, medical device disinfection, and profes- sional hygiene products and industrial cleaners. made a secret of his aim to be- come more independent of eco- nomic cycles and to target the consumer market more strongly. In this respect, it was only logical for LANXESS to massive- ly expand its position in the Consumer Protection segment through acquisitions in recent years. This was achieved, on the one hand, through the integration of Emerald Kalama Chemical into the newly formed F&F business unit, and more re- cently through the acquisition of the IFF Microbial Control business, which was merged into the MPP business unit. In one fell swoop, the MPP BU expanded by 250 new products and 300 employ- ees. “Now we can offer our customers additional application-oriented solutions and strengthen our value chain,” says BU head Michael Schäfer. Some of the new products have found a new home in the Biocides and Actives & Disinfection busi- • Employees (+300) Prior to closing: 800 Afterward: 1100 • Products (+250) Prior to closing: 1100 Afterward: 1350 • Production sites (+2) Prior to closing: 12 Afterward: 14 • Technical laboratories (+8) Prior to closing: 11 Afterward: 19 • Active ingredient registrations (+50) Prior to closing: 50 Afterward: 100 THE STARS IN THE NEW PORTFOLIO AQUCAR™ uses microbiocides to treat water in the energy and industrial sec- tors. Microbiocides help minimize the formation of bacteria, algae, and bio- films. In this way, they prevent microbial- ly induced corrosion, attenuate polymer degradation, and reduce acidification of wells and reservoirs. GLUTEX™ offers ready-to-use deter- gent or disinfectant formulations for animal biosecurity. This makes life diffi- cult for viruses, bacteria, and fungi. The active ingredient can be used on hard, nonporous surfaces and is used espe- cially in the agricultural sector. SILVADUR™ is an antimicrobial solu- tion for odor control. The active ingredi- ent still has a great deal of development potential, especially when it comes to functional clothing. The patented silver ion polymer technology adheres to the fiber surface and makes textiles more durable. It protects against discoloration and prolongs the integrity of the fabric. Textiles with Silvadur can even withstand high temperatures and up to 50 wash cycles. At the same time, the active in- gredient is very skin-friendly. It is used globally and is extremely well known in the textile industry. important brand in the new Care busi- ness line and is found in what are known as leave-on products, which remain on the skin, and rinse-off products, which are washed off or rinsed out again, like shampoos or conditioners. NEOLONE™ Bio offers a range of naturally derived preservatives for personal care prod- ucts based on ethyl lauryl arginate HCl (LAE®). LAE® is an effective preservative produced from sugar beets or corn. KATHON™ is a preservative for person- al care products and an antimicrobial agent for industrial preservation. It is a brand with a long history and is very well known in the industry. The brand can be found in all four MPP business lines. NEOLONE™ is another preservative for personal care products. It is the most BIOBAN™ offers antimicrobial solu- tions for both industrial preservation and household cleaning. It is the global LANXESS brand for material preserva- tion. It is mainly used in the BIO busi- ness line, but also in the ACD and Care business lines. 01/2023 | Xpress 11

FIT – HERE’S WHAT’S NEXT “Creating a common understanding” Ulrike Bertrand, Global Implementa- tion Manager, BU F&F “At our BU, worlds are currently converg- ing that need to be united – on the one hand, there’s the LANXESS world, which emerged from part of the AII business and the former LANXESS Distribution. With the exception of India, this world has been using the new SAP system since May 2022. On the other hand, there are the three former EKC facili- ties, which not only have very different workflows from site to site, but also use a different system and are not yet familiar with the way the SAP system is set up. In order to create a common understanding of how we’ll work in the future, one thing we did was invite part of the F&F team to Rotterdam in early January. During what’s known as an end-to-end work- shop, we went through the entire process chain together, from order creation to delivery in the system, based on the example of a customer order. This was a big step forward for us. After all, in a highly integrative system, key users must not only be well versed in their respective project streams, but also understand the overarching interrelationships. At the same time, we are working through the unresolved issues from the rollout in Germany together with IT and PDG, and appreciate the template enhance- ments. This will allow us to transition our production sites in Botlek, Widnes, and Kalama to L4P as smoothly as possible on October 1.” 01/2023 | Xpress 13 “We continue to grow together” Philip von Wrede, Head of Business Excellence, BU MPP “The tight timing and significant com- plexity – we will be transitioning 36 legal entities and 3 branch offices in 32 coun- tries this year – are extremely challenging. Nevertheless, we also view this as a great opportunity to fully integrate the new sites and companies we acquired through the takeover of the Microbial Control busi- ness into our LANXESS systems right from the start. And this schedule is set in stone – because MC employees can only work with the existing systems until the end of the year. At that point, the service agreements expire. The new employees will certainly face the biggest change, as they will have to become familiar with our processes and familiarize themselves with new systems. Fortunately, we have a lot of expertise in integrating new businesses at MPP due to previous acqui- sitions. Together with GBS and IT, we are doing everything we can to help our new coworkers get to know the processes. And we know that the effort will be worth it, because switching systems not only results in a technical change, but also a cultural one. As a result, thanks to FIT the MPP team is going to grow much closer together.”

A passion for fast cars and trav- eling: Janis McDavid believes that courage, curiosity, and a lit- tle bit of craziness are important parts of life. At our Diversity & Inclusion Day, Janis was a guest speaker in the LANXESS Tower. PROMOTING DIVERSITY Would you like to learn more about diversity and inclusion at LANXESS? Then check out the D&I page on Xnet. There you’ll also find the record- ing of Janis McDavid’s presenta- tion at LANXESS. What about you? Are you aware of your unconscious biases? Take a test and find out. You can find the learning platform Xlearn on Xnet in the quick links. Type “unconscious bias” into the search bar and you can begin the 20-minute course. discovered your passion for race car driving. Do the conventional portray- als of people with disabilities inspire you to keep making the impossible possible? My attitude has never been to prove any- thing to other people. I’ve always lived my life doing what I felt like doing. The fact that I was born without arms and legs paradoxically turns it into a story – which otherwise wouldn’t actually be a story at all. Nevertheless, I have to admit that I’m someone who likes to push his limits and try new things. But it’s by no means just about going “higher, faster, further.” You shouldn’t climb Kilimanjaro just to snap some nice pics for Instagram. You should have a better reason than that. Have you ever set out to accomplish something that ended up not work- ing out? Of course! There was a time in my life when I was really struggling with myself. The question “Why me?” almost broke me. In order to be more “normal,” I started experimenting with different prosthetics. But in the end, that only made me even more frustrated because I had to relearn everyday things like how to walk. So even though I completely failed at this project, it got me to a point where I thought for the first time: “Hey, maybe your body isn’t that bad after all.” So essentially my fail- ure completely changed my life – for the better. One thing you say about yourself is that your biggest disability isn’t your lack of arms and legs, but how you judge yourself in your own head. What do you mean by that exactly? I, like most other people by the way, tend to allow myself to be affected by failures much more than by successes. If you pass 20 exams but fail one, you immediately feel like a loser. This discrepancy in our minds is something we need to balance out. Otherwise, we deny ourselves the chance to approach new things in a posi- tive way. One thing I’ve learned for myself is don’t overthink it. Just get out there and get going! Of course, it’s silly to claim that you can achieve anything. But you can e s s a H n e v S , o t t O y t a C , S S E X N A L : s o t o h P definitely achieve more if you have more confidence in yourself. I view courage as a muscle that can be trained. Life right now is currently charac- terized by multiple crises, which are certainly also on many people’s minds – and having an impact on them – outside of work. What would you say to someone who’s going through a crisis? It’s not easy to give a blanket answer to that without sounding like a Hallmark card. From my point of view, it’s import- ant to first realize that life can never just be all sunshine and rainbows. Self-doubt – and maybe even fear of the future – are quite normal in certain phases. One trick is to consciously think back to your own personal success stories. What have you already achieved that you’re particularly proud of? And how did you achieve it? A few years ago, I wrote down a list of my personal achievements. It makes me real- ize that I’ve always learned the most from crises. 01/2023 | Xpress 15

“SAFETY DEPENDS ON ALL OF US” Kalama was among the plants that also underwent a safety assessment this year. The team was enthusiastic about it, says Gröschl. An interview with Peter Karbaum, new Incident Officer and head of Global HSEP & GMS at Group Function PTSE. Mr. Karbaum, as Inci- dent Officer, don’t you always come too late? Peter Karbaum: Yes, you might think that from the title. But my main job is to prevent incidents. With my team of experts, we regularly review the extent to which LANXESS safety standards have been implemented at the plants. Another essential aspect of our work is to advise and inform plant management, for exam- ple when it comes to implementing new statutory regulations. So you’re only responsible for the plants in Germany? No, we take a look at roughly 100 plants around the world. And do so at defined intervals, depending on the risk class. In this context, the range of our plants’ risk classes is quite broad. About one-third of all plants have an increased risk potential, including plants from the AII and PLA business units. These facilities handle large quantities of hazardous materials, such as flammable or toxic chemicals. These are then also audited particular- ly frequently. Some plants, on the other hand, only mix relatively harmless sub- stances, as is the case with some HPM and MPP plants. Every year, Hubert Fink, the Member of the Board of Manage- ment responsible for this area, receives a report from me in which I assess the overall safety situation of our plants. How do you conduct your audits? I’m always on site with the 30-member team. We go through a kind of question- naire. The questions are based on our group directives. The goal is to elevate all plants to a standardized, high LANXESS safety level. In this context, the plants’ maintenance and safety concept play an essential role, but the audit also looks at sustainability and energy efficiency aspects. So how are we doing overall in your audits? In terms of occupational safety, we per- formed very well in 2022 with an LTIFR of 0.6. We are also seeing improvements in plant safety. But there’s still room for im- provement in some areas. This particular- ly applies to plants that we’ve acquired in recent years, such as those from Chemtu- ra, Emerald Kalama, or IFF. Why? What’s going on with these new plants? We recently finished auditing the three new F&F sites in Widnes, Botlek, and Kala- ma. In the case of initial visits, we conduct a GAP analysis, see what the situation is on site, and where any gaps remain in re- lation to LANXESS expectations. In this context, we don’t yet conduct an assess- ment using the traffic light system. After one to two years at the most, we come back and see whether and how our in- structions have been implemented. This is followed by the normal compliance checks. We’ve also already paid a visit to Institute, West Virginia, USA. The former IFF site performed very well in our GAP analysis. What’s the key to performing well? The newly added plants reflect how their former operators dealt with the issue of safety. In the end, it comes down to the people on site. Are they receptive to the topic? Are they conscious of safety is- sues? This includes being able to talk openly and honestly about problems. In this respect, we all contribute to safe plant operation together. 01/2023 | Xpress 17 paratus. The teams incorporate their newly acquired knowledge into these templates, thereby making them increasingly accurate and effective. During safety assessments, the PPS team works in MS Teams virtual rooms. “This allows us to quickly bring our own, but also external experts together at each location,” explains Gröschl. The “virtu- al PPS office” provides a way to pose ques- tions directly to the PPS team or discuss them with employees via video conferenc- ing. The team also uses virtual reality head- sets, smartboards, and 3D scans. At the end of a safety assessment, employ- ees on site receive a clearly defined action plan that they must implement over the next two years. Once this work is done, the plant receives a test certificate in A4 format. The PPS team will then pay the site its next visit after three, five, or 10 years, depending on the legal requirements. Recently, the depart- ment has been working to consolidate the results of all the safety assessments into a single database. The aim of the project is to make even better use of this wealth of ex- perience.

BETWEEN YOU AND ME The Shot in the Bathtub Full of Ketchup Just a tiny jar of preservative is enough to give bathtub full of the popular condiment a long shelf life. The mixing ratio can also be applied to food and beverages. These small doses are essential, says Anna Kuch, benzoate product manager in the F&F BU, and explains why. People have been preserving food for thousands of years – ei- ther with salt or through fermentation. The fermentation process makes sauerkraut, for example, edible for a long time. Thanks to it, sailors got scurvy less often, as they had long-lasting vegeta- bles with vitamins. Nowadays we preserve almost all products that can be found in the supermarket. In the case of jam, this is handled by sug- ar, while canned food and milk are boiled, i.e., pasteurized. These processes are by no means suitable for all foods, however. In this case, traditional pre- servatives must be used to give prod- ucts a longer shelf life – such as the sodium benzoates from LANXESS. They have an antimicrobial effect against molds and yeasts. stand without going bad, even at temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius. Even shampoos and soaps, as well as many other cosmetic products, have a shelf life of several weeks or months thanks to just a minimal amount of preservatives. The availability of medicines is also currently the subject of much discussion. In recent months, many parents have tried in vain to find fever-reducing syrup for their children. Anyone who was lucky enough to get hold of a bottle can be pleased to know that it will keep for weeks or even months after it has been opened. In this case as well, our ben- zoates, for example, ensure that the drug can still be used after all this time without any issues. Preservatives often also make new products possible in the first place. Jams with a re- duced sugar content are one example. This is a great trend, but less sugar also reduces the jam’s shelf life. To prevent the jam from ending up in the trash after only two breakfasts, the producer can add a little bit of pre- servative – now the jam stays fresh lon- ger, reducing food waste in the process. Dressings and sauces are a special case, such as the particularly wide variety used in Asian cuisine. Thanks to the pre- servatives, these sauces can easily last for weeks at a street food Less waste, more sustainable consumption, medicines that have a long shelf life – all this is only possible thanks to small amounts of preservatives. After all, what’s a shot of preservative in an entire bathtub full of ketchup? At home, take a look at your shampoo bottle or sweet and sour sauce. There’s a pretty good chance these will have a long shelf life thanks to preserva- tives from LANXESS. Anna Kuch, Benzoates Product Manager in the F & F BU. YOUR KNOWLEDGE FOR ALL We want to share the knowledge that LANXESS employees possess. In this series, employees write in- formally about their observations or experiences. Do you also have a story to tell? Or do you have a burning question that you would like to ask an expert? Then simply send us an email: xpress@lanxess.com 01/2023 | Xpress 19

A plant in northwestern England with a great deal of potential. The team is highly motivated to hit the ground running now, Smith says. munication. We were always able to make many decisions and take action ourselves. But now we belong to a large publicly trad- ed corporation. There are rules and direc- tives for everything. This, of course, means that we now check and double-check everything, which results in a lot more bu- reaucracy than before. That’s something we’ll have to get used to. Do you also see benefits for Widnes? Oh of course, by all means. Being part of this corporation opens up new oppor- tunities for us. We can now draw on the knowledge of many highly skilled experts. If we have legal questions, for exam- ple, we can now contact Group Func- tion LEX directly. That’s a tremendous benefit. We all appreciate the fact that we were acquired by a global chemical In the control room, Jay Rylance shows new employee Rob Yates the ropes. Right: Two employees carefully inspect the barrels once more before delivery. 01/2023 | Xpress 21

MOTIVATOR ON TOUR Board Member Anno Borkowsky is a man of action – as soon as the first plane was allowed to take off head- ed for China, he was on it, visiting the LANXESS site in Singapore, including a detour to the MPP site in the Joo Koon industrial park. This was particularly ex- citing because the former IFF employees now form a new team with their MPP col- leagues in the laboratory. Borkowsky was taken with the idea and emphasized the importance of the region for LANXESS, which has now finally resumed growing. The Chinese employees went through a difficult period last year due to the coro- navirus. This made the visit all the more important for them, said ASEAN Country Representative Vinod Agnihotri. “It was extremely beneficial and motivating for all of us, after such a long time, to finally be able to speak with a Board Member in person again.” It seems not everything can be handled digitally after all. Anno Borkowsky (5th from right) during his visit to the MPP site in Joo Koon, Singapore. CALLING ALL MEN: WINX WANTS YOU! WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF OUR CORPORATE CULTURE? “There are many,” is Niklas Faulen- bach’s answer. The engineer, BU LPT in Bitterfeld, has completing training as a culture coach. He’s now tasked with strengthening and advancing our Performance Culture, collabora- tion, and communication within his team. “The main reason, however, was the result of a survey at our site,” he recalls. It revealed that some em- ployees didn’t feel sufficiently appre- ciated in their position. “We were eager to change that.” Faulenbach volunteered for the training. “The discussions with my colleagues were enlightening. Everyone is facing dif- ferent challenges at their sites. I was able to learn a lot from the different approaches everyone is taking.” Even during the training, he actively sup- ported the company’s own newly founded appreciation group in Bit- terfeld, which tackled the identified problem through a number of activi- ties. He said he personally took a lot away from the workshops. He had al- ready sensed before the seminar that appreciation also has something to In 2023, the women’s network WInX wants to get more men involved. But why? “When women empower and network with each other, it has a tremendous impact. But if men also lend their support, it can only help us reach our goal – gender equality – that much more quickly. And we need this not only in the numbers, but also in our corporate culture.” Jale Maria Mumme, Leadership WInX Germany. do with safety. “But deep down, it was only there that I realized that obviously people are more attentive on the job when they know that others find the work they’re doing truly important.” Anyone interested in learning more about the topic of “culture coach” can contact Monique Ber- ens, Head of Performance Cul- ture, at monique.berens@lanx- ess.com 01/2023 | Xpress 23