Being CEO: A Cauldron of Change

Join the Drexel LeBow Center for Corporate Governance to hear the personal and professional journey of one of America’s premier CEOs and corporate directors, Raj Gupta (’72). Interviewed by Drexel University President John Fry, Raj will recount the numerous challenges he has overcome and the lessons he’s learned on his path to success as detailed in his recent publication, “My American Journey: Eight Dollars and a Dream”.

Program Overview:

8:00-9:00 AM Registration and Networking 9:00-10:00 AM Program 10:00 AM Book Signing (Books will be available for purchase for $15 by check)

Raj Gupta immigrated to America from India in 1968 in pursuit of continued higher education. While navigating the uncertainties of life in an unfamiliar culture with a new wife and only $8, Raj earned a M.S. degree in Operations Research from Cornell University in New York in 1969. In 1971, Raj joined Rohm & Haas, a global pioneer developing innovative technologies and solutions for the specialty materials industry. In October 1999, after 28 years with the company having held numerous positions, Raj was named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He was only the third CEO to come from outside the ranks of the founding Haas family, and the first to have been born outside the United States. As CEO, Raj successfully navigated the intricate and complex $15.3 billion acquisition of Rohm & Haas by Dow Chemical Company in 2009.

Today, Raj holds a number of public, private, and nonprofit board positions. He serves as the Chairman of Delphi Automotive PLC, Lead Independent Director of Hewlett-Packard Company, Executive Chairman of Avantor Performance Materials Holding Inc, and Director of Tyco International LTD, IRI Group, and the Vanguard Group.

Raj is a member of the Center for Corporate Governance’s Advisory Board and earned his MBA in Finance from Drexel University in 1972.