Wendell Weeks
Summary
Wendell Weeks is Corning’s longtime Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer, having served as CEO since April 2005 and chairman since April 2007. ([corning.com](https://www.corning.com/worldwide/en/about-us/company-profile/our-leadership/wendell-p--weeks.html?utm_source=openai))
Biography
Weeks joined Corning in 1983 in the Finance group and went on to hold financial, business-development, commercial, and general-management roles across the company. He became vice president and general manager of Optical Fiber in 1996, president of Corning Optical Communications in 2001, and Corning’s president and chief operating officer in 2002. ([corning.com](https://www.corning.com/worldwide/en/about-us/company-profile/our-leadership/wendell-p--weeks.html?utm_source=openai)) Weeks became chief executive officer in April 2005 and chairman of the board in April 2007; Corning appointed him president again in October 2025. During his tenure, he has emphasized new growth platforms, materials-science innovation, and a broader portfolio spanning optical communications, display technologies, life sciences, and specialty materials. He is a Lehigh University graduate, earned an MBA from Harvard Business School as a Baker Scholar, has been credited by Corning with numerous U.S. patents, and serves on the boards of Amazon.com and the Corning Museum of Glass. ([corning.com](https://www.corning.com/worldwide/en/about-us/company-profile/our-leadership/wendell-p--weeks.html?utm_source=openai))
Notable achievements
- Helped lead Corning’s restructuring and return to profitability after the telecommunications-industry crash while serving as president and chief operating officer. ([corning.com](https://www.corning.com/worldwide/en/about-us/company-profile/our-leadership/wendell-p--weeks.html?utm_source=openai))
- Oversaw acquisitions and portfolio expansion in Optical Communications, Life Sciences, and Display Technologies during his CEO tenure. ([corning.com](https://www.corning.com/worldwide/en/about-us/company-profile/our-leadership/wendell-p--weeks.html?utm_source=openai))
- Played an instrumental role in the development of Corning Gorilla Glass, which became a major consumer-electronics product line. ([corning.com](https://www.corning.com/worldwide/en/about-us/company-profile/our-leadership/wendell-p--weeks.html?utm_source=openai))
- Led the company’s Springboard growth plan, which Corning said in May 2026 was aimed at reaching a $20 billion annualized sales run rate by the end of 2026. ([corning.com](https://www.corning.com/emea/en/about-us/news-events/news-releases/2026/05/corning-upgrades-and-extends-springboard-plan-outlines-new-phase-of-accelerating-growth.html?utm_source=openai))
- Directed Corning’s rapid expansion of pharmaceutical-vial production during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout; the company said it produced more than 150 million vials in 2021. ([time.com](https://time.com/6186869/wendell-weeks-corning-leadership-brief/?utm_source=openai))
Problem areas / controversies
- Corning remains exposed to cyclical and highly competitive display-glass markets; management has had to pursue pricing actions, cost reductions, and capacity adjustments to address weak demand and margin pressure. ([corning.com](https://www.corning.com/worldwide/en/about-us/news-events/news-releases/2024/09/corning-provides-update-on-key-milestones-in-springboard-plan-to-add-more-than-3-billion-in-annualized-sales-and-shares-operating-margin-target-of-20-by-end-of-2026.html?utm_source=openai))
- The company recorded $45 million of severance charges and $128 million of non-cash asset write-offs in 2024, primarily associated with closing a display-manufacturing plant. ([corning.com](https://www.corning.com/content/dam/corning/media/worldwide/global/documents/corning_10-k_2025.pdf?utm_source=openai))
- Corning’s long-term growth plans depend on successfully scaling newer businesses while managing customer concentration, technology changes, tariffs, and global economic volatility. ([ebs.publicnow.com](https://ebs.publicnow.com/view/B8707CFA9E8F406B264BA70C4F79D8A874C06D58?utm_source=openai))
- Weeks stepped down from a U.S. manufacturing advisory council in 2017 after Corning’s participation became associated with perceived political support for the administration; he said the decision reflected the company’s values. ([corning.com](https://www.corning.com/worldwide/en/about-us/news-events/a-message-from-our-ceo.html?utm_source=openai))