Hubert Mandery (57) holds a PhD degree in Food Chemistry/Analytical Chemistry from the Technical University of Karlsruhe, Germany. In 1980-1981 he spent two years post-doctoral studies under Prof Victor Pretorius, Director of the Institute for Chromatography at the University of Pretoria. He started his career at BASF in research and became Group Leader for Chromatography in the BASF Central Analytical Laboratory. In 1993 he was appointed Director Product Safety in the International Chemical Regulatory Affairs service and promoted Vice-President International Economic Affairs BASF in 2000 and in 2004 Senior Vice-President Trade Policy and General Political Issues.
 

Hubert Mandery served as Sherpa of EggertVoscherau, Member of the Board of BASF, during the latter's time as President of the Board of Cefic from 2002 to 2004. Between 2007 and 2009 he served as Managing Director Business Centre South Africa and Sub-Sahara and Head of BASF South Africa.
His appointment in 2009 as Director General of the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) in Brussels confirms his status as one of the most influential Chemists/Chemical Economists in Europe today. He has travelled widely in Africa and considers himself a friend of our country and continent.

 

In his presentation, Dr Mandery discussed the Top-Ten Challenges for the Chemical Sciences (Source: Royal Society of Chemistry, July 2009):

He closed his talk with this very apt quotation:
“Chemistry will undoubtedly remain the  central science in the 21st Century.

After bringing to mankind the fundamental discoveries which have changed our daily life for the last two centuries, it will now be at the heart of a new scientific era, where many sciences will merge and cross-fertilize for the benefit of innovation.

Thus, chemical creativity and knowledge will be needed everywhere.”

- Prof. Jean-Marie Lehn – Nobel Laureate 1987 (Chemistry for Life 1997)