Wendell P. Weeks has served as Corning’s chief executive officer since April 2005 and chairman of the board since April 2007. He has been a member of the company’s board of directors since December 2000. As CEO, Weeks has focused on creating new growth drivers and building a bigger, stronger, and more agile company.
Weeks began his career with Corning in 1983 in the finance group. In his 38 years with the company, he has 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. In early 2001, he was named president of Corning’s Optical Communications division, where he led through both dynamic market growth and the subsequent challenges of market declines. Weeks became Corning’s president and chief operating officer in April 2002. In this role, he helped lead the company’s restructuring and return to profitability following the telecommunications industry crash. During his tenure as CEO, he has overseen acquisitions in Optical Communications, Life Sciences, and Display Technologies. He has also played an instrumental role in numerous innovations, including the development of Corning® Gorilla® Glass. Furthermore, he has earned 33 U.S. patents.
Weeks is a graduate of Lehigh University and earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University as a Baker Scholar. He serves on the board of directors at Amazon.com, Inc. and is a member of the Liveris Academy Honorary Board. He is also on the board of trustees for the Corning Museum of Glass.
Weeks received Harvard Business School’s 2014 Alumni Achievement Award. In November 2014, he was awarded the Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit from Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy for contributions to the display technology industry.