Covestro chief bullish on China

Thomas was CEO of Bayer MaterialScience－Covestro's earlier avatar－from 2007. He said being separate would give Covestro greater flexibility to independently pursue its business goals.

"I'm absolutely convinced that the new identity and vision will help boost the company towards a new path in the future," he said.

The Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are together a key region for Covestro as it is now the third-largest market. Covestro is working to develop the region into its second-largest market.

"In the past few years, we have successfully positioned China as one of our strategic global decision-making centers, as the headquarters of our polycarbonate business unit, and one of our global innovation hubs. One of our three largest production facilities is located in Shanghai," said Thomas.

"We can rely on highly skilled, loyal and dedicated employees in China, as well as on a strong and experienced management with a proven track record of excellence and a full commitment to further grow our business in the country."

According to Thomas, protecting the environment and helping conserve our planet's limited resources is among the company's highest priorities－not only in China but across the globe.

"We use, and supply others with, eco-friendly processes that save energy and cut emissions and simplify production so that companies can also save money," he said.

"Many of our products and solutions also contribute significantly to environmental protection, including the high-tech plastic polycarbonate and our polyurethane insulation materials that help achieve higher energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions in the cars and construction industry."

Thomas said his biggest achievement so far is the successful listing of Covestro on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. He is proud it is a business that has leading positions in all segments of its portfolio and is well invested to grow in the high growth industries that it serves.

The share price of Covestro increased by 10 percent soon after listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on October 6. The shares were priced at 24 euros ($27.3) for Covestro's IPO, but the price rose to 26.99 euros on the first day of trading.

"We are proud now to be a listed company, which puts us in an even better position than before, enabling us to build on our strengths in the global competitive arena," he said.

When it comes to office, there is never a "typical day" and that's "what is so attractive about my job", he said.