Rustom J. Desai

Rustom Desai is an accomplished technology executive who, in his 25-year career with Corning Incorporated, built and restructured businesses across multiple technologies and geographies. He has delivered profitable growth in varied technology-intensive industries including Semiconductors, Consumer Electronics, and Telecommunications. He is a powerful leader who has built and led teams to success through complex regulatory frameworks, cultures, and customer needs- in both domestic and international markets. He is a global citizen who has lived and worked in the US, China, Taiwan, and India.

Rustom is also a trusted board director with extensive expertise in driving positive business outcomes in Family (public, private), Technology and JV boards.

• He is Independent Director of a public, woman run, family-controlled company that manufactures Automobile Bearings in India. He chairs the Strategy Committee and is on the Nomination and Remuneration Committee. He is known as an international growth champion and sits on their Dubai-based subsidiary board.
• He has been Corning’s representative on several JV boards. He has also personally negotiated many of the contracts that led to the formation of these alliances.
• He is Board Chair and whole-time director on of his Family Office. He led the Ownership and Governance transition from first to second generation in these companies, while fundamentally restructuring their scope.

Additionally, Rustom is Adjunct Professor at Cornell’s SC Johnson Graduate School of Business, where he teaches two MBA courses-Strategic Alliances and Family Enterprise Management and Governance. Both courses draw on his many professional and personal experiences and arm his students with real-world weapons to effect positive outcomes in their careers.