By Barbara Frankel
Heidi Alderman’s career path has been anything but traditional. A chemical engineer, she’s been a leader in operations and procurement in the very male-dominated chemical industry.
Today, she heads Petrochemicals in North America for Germany-based BASF. The Petrochemicals sector is a $5 billion business, manufacturing and marketing products created in plants in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Ontario, Canada. Alderman, based in Houston, is a member of BASF’s executive diversity council and is a strong supporter of increased hiring and promoting of women and people from other underrepresented groups. She is also the chair of BASF’s Executive Women in Leadership group.