Gulay Serhatkulu

BASF Corporation
11750 Katy Freeway, Suite
120, TX 77079 Houston,
United States
Executive ProfileDr. Gulay Serhatkulu
Gulay is a senior executive in BASF’s Petrochemicals division, leading a multi-billion-dollar business across North and South America with full P&L responsibility and strategic accountability for regional performance, growth, and operational excellence. She oversees a diverse organization of 800 employees across manufacturing, commercial, supply chain, and technical functions, ensuring safe, reliable, and profitable operations while strengthening BASF’s long-term competitiveness in a rapidly evolving global market.Since joining BASF in 2006 as a Technical Service Representative, Gulay has advanced through progressively broader leadership roles in product management, marketing, sales, strategy, and procurement. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President of BASF’s Performance Materials business in North America, where she led major integration, transformation, and portfolio-shaping initiatives. Active in industry leadership, Gulay has served on the American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Division Operating Committee since 2019, contributing to strategy, policy discussions, and governance across the U.S. plastics value chain. Gulay holds a Ph.D., M.Sc., and B.Sc. in Polymer Science & Engineering and Chemical Engineering from the University of Akron and Hacettepe University. She completed postdoctoral research at the University of Nottingham (UK) and Wayne State University (USA) and began her career as an assistant professor before transitioning to industry. She is married and has one son.