The new Borealis boss Thomas Gangl on the merger with OMV, record profits in the pandemic, plastic waste and green promises from the industry.
Since the majority takeover of Borealis by their old employer OMV, there has been a lot of talk about the different cultures in the two companies. How did you fare in the first few months?
Thomas Gangl: I had a start without a start-up phase because I’ve known the Borealis for a long time. Most recently, I was a member of the Borealis Supervisory Board for almost two years. During my time as OMV board member, I also had the idea for the purchase and ultimately handled the takeover. You immerse yourself deeply in a company. When it comes to culture, there is a lot that unites us: access to security, for example, or the spirit of innovation. But both companies operate internationally. There is no such thing as one culture. At Borealis, too, it is a little different in Scandinavia than in Abu Dhabi, for example.
In parts of the OMV workforce, however, there is great skepticism, less because of the culture and more because of the realignment of the oil and gas company towards petrochemicals and plastics. Can you understand that?
This is a topic I don’t want to go into that deep. Of course, every change comes with a certain amount of worry. But we also see where the world is developing in total. There are things that have to change. And together we have great opportunities and can also achieve something globally that would not be possible on our own.