Stefan Borgas

About Stefan Borgas

Stefan Borgas is a senior German business executive with extensive international experience in the chemical, biotech and specialty materials industries. He has served as Chairman of AFYREN’s Board of Directors since October 2020, a role in which he brings industrial depth and global perspective to a fast-growing sustainable chemistry company. His career spans more than 30 years across listed multinational groups, with a track record in strategy, operational transformation and international development. He holds an MBA from the University of St. Gallen and began his career at BASF in 1990. During his years at BASF, he held several international leadership roles, including responsibilities in fine chemicals and regional management across Europe, Africa and later North America. This early experience gave him a solid understanding of global chemical markets, industrial supply chains and performance management in complex business environments. Borgas went on to lead Lonza Group from 2004 to 2012, the Swiss listed life sciences and specialty ingredients company. In that position, he oversaw a business operating at the intersection of chemistry and biotechnology, strengthening his expertise in technology-driven and highly regulated sectors. From 2012 to 2016, he served as CEO of ICL, an Israeli specialty minerals and industrial materials group, where he contributed to the company’s strategic direction and international management in diversified industrial and agricultural markets. Since 2016, he has also been CEO of RHI Magnesita, a global leader in high-performance refractory materials. In that role, he has been associated with the execution of transformation plans, operational discipline and value creation in a global heavy-industry setting. He has also served on the boards of Syngenta, Sibelco and Yunnan Yuntianhua. At AFYREN, his chairmanship comes at a critical stage as the company moves from innovation to industrial scale-up, with a strong focus on commercial expansion, industrial execution and long-term strategic development.