Heinz-Wolfgang Härin studied chemistry at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany, graduating in 1972. He gained his doctorate in 1978 in metal-organic chemistry, joining Linde Engineering, a division of the current Linde Group, one year later. He was initially responsible for material selection in the various processing plants, from steamcrackers to hydrogen plants and air separation units, and for material and corrosion investigations in the event of equipment failure. In 1983, after further qualification as a welding engineer, he became head of the Material Testing Department. From here he advanced to Quality Assurance Manager in 1990, and has since held managerial posts in Materials Technology and Engineering Services Mechanical Equipment. Finally, Dr. Häring returned to chemistry and in 2001 became responsible for Chemical R&D, including the analytical services for the various process plants.