Making the city a better place to live in

Paul Lindblad, president of Wacker Chemicals China, has been honored with the 2018 Magnolia Gold Award for his outstanding work, his emphasis on social responsibility and his contribution to Shanghai’s international communication.

Wacker Chemicals China is a midsized company. However, under the helm of Lindblad, who has worked in Shanghai for more than five years, its sales in Shanghai increased significantly to 1.2 billion euros (US$1.4 billion) in 2017, as well as its tax to Shanghai reached 80 million yuan (US$11.6 million).

“There are 20 million plus people in Shanghai and there are many big brands here. Wacker is only a mid-size chemical company, but I think we do more than our size. The Magnolia Gold Award shows that the city respects us,” he said.

Wacker Help, a charity sponsored by the company, was established in 2005. Last year, it signed a voluntary service agreement with the Shanghai Children’s Home, helping them build a library.

In addition, Lindblad approved business travel subsidies and paid holidays for employees engaged in charitable work.

Wacker has been involved in charitable work for some time. In 2008, it built the Wacker School in Chengdu after the devastating earthquake in Sichuan Province. The first group of students are now going to college, Lindblad said.

He has twice visited the school, and the experience affected him so deeply that he established a new concept of charity.

“To help people does make one feel better. It is an investment in self-worth, so I want more Wacker employees to be involved. However, Sichuan is so far away, the staff who actually contributed are relatively few. So I decided that we should shift our focus of corporate responsibility a little, to get closer to home. We challenge ourselves to find activities