Wolfgang Büchele, former CEO of Finnish chemical producer Kemira and Hungarian chemical producer BorsodChem, has been designated to head German gases and engineering group Linde on the retirement of current chief Wolftang Reitzle on 20 May 2014.

Linde supervisory board chairman and former Bayer chief executive Manfred Schneider described Büchele as a "skilled strategist and true insider of the chemical industry," fulfilling all prerequisites to further advance Linde in its successful development and continue the strategy pursued by Reitzle. Büchele also previously headed BASF's fine chemicals division.