10.09.2008 - 08:17am ET

(CSRwire) PITTSBURGH,PA. - October 9, 2008 - Greg Babe has been named Chairman of the Bayer USA Foundation in addition to his new role as President and CEO of Bayer Corporation, both effective October 1, 2008.

The Bayer USA Foundation is one of three global foundations in Bayer's corporate social responsibility portfolio. Since 2004, Babe has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Bayer USA Foundation.

As Chairman of the Bayer USA Foundation, Babe will oversee the activities of Bayer Corporation's philanthropic arm, which in 2007 awarded nearly $5 million in grants to nonprofit organizations throughout the country.

Under Babe's new leadership, the mission of the Bayer USA Foundation will remain consistent. It will continue to support programs that enhance the quality of life, provide unique and enriching opportunities that connect diverse groups and ensure preparedness for tomorrow's leaders -- thereby, resulting in sustainable partnerships that continually improve communities in which Bayer employees live and work.

Bayer USA Foundation’s four giving areas include Arts and Culture; Education and Workforce Development; Environment and Sustainability; and Health and Human Services.

"Strengthening our communities and supporting organizations dedicated to this important work is something that Bayer and the Bayer USA Foundation have been committed to for a half century," said Greg Babe, Chairman of the Bayer USA Foundation and President and CEO of Bayer Corporation and Bayer MaterialScience LLC. "I plan to continue that tradition and take great pride in some of the innovative programs Bayer is supporting nationwide."


Greg Babe Begins Role as CEO of Bayer Corporation

As announced July 31, 2008, the Management Board of Bayer AG named Greg Babe as President and CEO of Bayer Corporation and the Senior Bayer Representative in North America, succeeding Dr. Attila Molnar, who retired from the company after 30 years of service, effective October 1, 2008. Bayer Corporation is the U.S. subsidiary of the Bayer Group of Germany, a EUR 32 billion global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials.

Babe, 51, will maintain his role as President and CEO of Bayer MaterialScience LLC, one of the leading producers of polymers and high-performance plastics in North America and a part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business. Prior to this position which he has held since 2004, Babe was President and CEO of Bayer Corporate and Business Services LLC, where he was responsible for providing expertise and support in engineering, information systems, procurement, materials management, human resources, financial, accounting and other business services to Bayer Corporation and its affiliates.

Since joining Bayer in 1978, Babe has held several management positions of increasing responsibility, including manager of the Brunsbüttel, Germany, facility; director and general manager of Hennecke Machinery, then a unit of Bayer's Polymers Division in Pennsylvania; vice president of corporate quality; and director of a national program to implement Bayer’s enterprise resource planning system. He was named senior vice president of information services in 1999 before being named president and CEO of Bayer Corporate and Business Services LLC in 2003.

Babe serves on the Boards of Directors for Bayer MaterialScience LLC; Deerfield Urethane, Inc.; and Sheffield Plastics. In addition, he is the chair of the Bayer Political Action Committee (BAYPAC). For five years he served as the executive sponsor of the Bayer Diversity Advisory Council.

Babe also is serving his second term as chairman of the American Chemistry Council's Plastics Division Operating Committee. In Pittsburgh, he is a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Pittsburgh Technology Council and a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors at Duquesne University, serving as Vice Chair of Audit and Finance. Babe is also a member of West Virginia University's College of Engineering and Mineral Resources Advisory Committee.

A native of West Virginia, Babe holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from West Virginia University. Babe and his wife, Carla, have four children and live in Mt. Lebanon, Pa.
Babe will remain in Pittsburgh, which serves as Bayer North American regional headquarters and Bayer MaterialScience NAFTA headquarters.



About Bayer USA Foundation
The Bayer USA Foundation is an endowed 501(c)(3) entity and is the primary source of Bayer Corporation’s philanthropy in the United States. With a programmatic focus on the environment and sustainability; education and workforce development; arts and culture; and health and human services, the foundation creates and supports organizations that improve communities in which Bayer employees live and work, as well as society at large. The Bayer USA Foundation is one of three Bayer foundations worldwide, including the Bayer Science & Education Foundation and the Bayer Cares Foundation

About Bayer Corporation
Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is a subsidiary of Bayer AG, an international health care, nutrition and innovative materials group based in Leverkusen, Germany. In North America, Bayer had 2007 net sales of $12 billion and employed 16,800 at year end. Bayer's three subgroups, Bayer HealthCare, Bayer CropScience and Bayer MaterialScience, improve people’s lives through a broad range of essential products that help diagnose, prevent and treat diseases; protect crops and enhance yields; and advance automobile safety and durability.

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