Wendell P. Weeks
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Wendell P. Weeks (born 1959/60) is an American businessman, the chairman, CEO, and president of
Corning Inc. Corning Incorporated is an American multinational technology company that specializes in specialty glass, ceramics, and related materials and technologies including advanced optics, primarily for industrial and scientific applications. The c ...


Education

Weeks received a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance from
Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was originally affiliated with the Epi ...
in
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 1 ...
, in 1981, and an MBA from
Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA ...
in 1987.


Business career


Corning

Weeks joined Corning in 1983. He held a variety of financial, business development, commercial, and general management roles, including strategic positions in the company’s television, specialty glass, and optical communications businesses. In 1996, Weeks was named vice president and general manager of Corning’s optical fiber business, a tenure which included managing through a major sales downturn. Weeks has been a director of Corning since December 2000. He was promoted to chief executive officer in April 2005. A notable action was rapid movement into production of
Gorilla Glass Gorilla Glass is a brand of chemically strengthened glass developed and manufactured by Corning, now in its seventh generation. Designed to be thin, light and damage-resistant, the glass gains its surface strength, ability to contain flaws, and ...
, for the new iPhone. He became chairman in April 2007.


Non-executive roles

Weeks has been a member of the board of directors of Amazon.com since February 2016.


Business philosophy

Weeks has said that "If you’re going to sustain as an institution, you have to focus on problems that matter. For Corning, some of those things are cleaner air; safer, more effective medicines; and fast, reliable communication. A company’s value is ultimately measured by whether or not it does good in society." He believes that creative destruction is an important part of capitalism, but so is collaboration. He regards failures as opportunities to learn.


Personal life

Weeks met his wife, Kim Frock, at Harvard Business School. She worked at Corning and helped initiate and volunteered with a local school project. They have two children. Weeks believes that you will be happy if you “find the people you love working with and something you are really excited to work on" (even if it doesn’t lead to external recognition).


References

Living people American business executives Harvard Business School alumni Lehigh University alumni Amazon (company) people Year of birth uncertain Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-CEO-stub