On January 31, 2005, a new company went public: LANXESS, created from the former chemicals division and part of the polymer activities of the Bayer Group, was an unknown quantity, yet it immediately set out to regain lost ground. At the time, the fledgling stock corporation was viewed with considerable suspicion by analysts and the business community. The newcomer on the fiercely contested chemicals market was faced with marginal profitability and encumbered by the burdens of the Bayer era. It was an immense challenge for everyone involved. The mission was to establish confidence in a so far unknown brand, develop an autonomous corporate profile, and overcome the skepticism of the media, customers, and investors. Three years later, the company has achieved what many observers originally believed was impossible: LANXESS has developed into a highly modern enterprise that is confidently heading for growth. A product of creativity, competence, and an uncompromising commitment to the future (not to mention a new brand culture that has had a crucial impact on the attitude and performance of the management and workforce), the onetime latecomer to the market is now setting the pace for the industry as a whole.