BASF appoints David Stryker as Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Former Siemens attorney to lead legal services function in North America

MOUNT OLIVE, N.J., April 5, 2004 -- BASF has appointed David Stryker as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of BASF Corporation, the North American affiliate of BASF AG.

Stryker joins BASF after 10 years with Siemens Corporation, New York, N.Y. Most recently, he was Associate General Counsel and Corporate Compliance Officer. Among other responsibilities, Stryker managed all litigation in North America for Siemens AG and its subsidiaries, including patent, antitrust and commercial law matters. He also designed and implemented the company's compliance programs and policies, and oversaw monitoring and investigation efforts related to compliance. Stryker started with Siemens as a Senior Litigation Counsel in 1994, and was promoted to Associate General Counsel in 1998.

Prior to Siemens, Stryker was a Partner in the Chicago, Ill., and New York, N.Y., offices of law firm Kirkland & Ellis from 1984 to 1994.

Stryker holds a bachelor's degree in English literature and a law degree, both from Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.

BASF - The Chemical Company. We don't make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.®
BASF Corporation, headquartered in New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, Germany. We employ about 11,000 people in North America and had sales of approximately $9 billion in 2003. For more information about BASF's North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.

BASF is the world's leading chemical company. Our goal is to grow profitably and further increase the value of our company. We help our customers to be more successful through intelligent system solutions and high-quality products. BASF's portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. Through new technologies we can tap into additional market opportunities. We conduct our business in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. In 2003, BASF had sales of approximately $42 billion and over 87,000 employees worldwide. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

For more information, contact:
Jack Maurer
BASF
Tel: (973) 426-3458
E-mail: maurerj1@basf.com