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Fireside Chat and Networking with Raj L. Gupta: Forging Successful Strategies in a Changing World

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About this event


Fireside Chat with Raj L. Gupta, Former CEO of Rohm & Haas and Former Board Member of Hewlett Packard, DuPont, Arconic/Howmet, Delphi/Aptiv, Airgas, Tyco, and Avantor, and Board Chair of Delphi/Aptiv and Avantor

The current business and geopolitical environment has been thrown into turmoil and uncertainty with tariffs, regional wars, an oil and natural gas crisis, structural changes in the economies of many countries, and overcapacity in a variety of chemical products. The question is no longer whether each company has to pivot and make strategic changes, but how and at what pace.

The other challenge is how to formulate new strategies and empower the board of companies to work with senior management to get to the right answer and to execute well. It is clear that decisions have become much more complex and the speed required to formulate and execute strategies has shortened dramatically.

The rapidly changing world is affecting the vast majority of chemical companies around the world. From his vast direct experience as the CEO of Rohm & Haas and his role on the board of many leading chemical and materials companies during their strategic shifts, Raj Gupta has many insights about how one formulates successful strategies and shifts in strategy at the CEO and the board level.

He will also pay particular attention to the role of the board with regard to their oversight of corporate strategy, the allocation of capital, and their responsibility to select and guide their CEOs.

This event will be conducted as a 45-minute fireside chat with questions from the audience. In addition, after the fireside chat, there will be 30 minutes when the attendees will be able to talk to and see each other in a virtual networking environment and speak and meet with Raj Gupta directly.

The webinar will be moderated by Peter Young, CEO and Managing Director, Young & Partners and President of Société de Chimie Industrielle.

To read a recent June article co-authored by Raj Gupta on “Resetting the Board Agenda for a Changing World” in Boards & Directors, click here.


About our Speaker:


Raj L. Gupta 
Raj L. Gupta
Former CEO of Rohm & Haas
Former Board Member of Hewlett Packard, DuPont, Arconic/Howmet, Delphi/Aptiv, Airgas, Tyco, and Avantor and Board Chair of Delphi/Aptiv and Avantor

Raj Gupta was born in a small village in Uttar Pradesh, India. As a 22-year-old in Spring 1968, he came to the United States with only $8 in his pocket to do graduate studies in Operations Research/Computer Science at Cornell. He built a 39-year career at the global Fortune 500 specialty materials company Rohm and Haas, where he retired as Chairman and CEO in April 2009.

Over his career, he has served as a director at 15 public companies across a wide range of industries, including Hewlett Packard, DuPont, Arconic/Howmet, Delphi/Aptiv, Airgas, Tyco, and Avantor. He also held long-term Board Chair positions at Delphi/Aptiv (7 years) and Avantor (12 years), both Fortune 500 companies. In addition, he has served on the boards of six private companies, including Vanguard Group, IRI, StrozFriedberg, and Aceto. Raj received a BTech(Hons) in Mechanical Engineering from IITBombay in 1967, followed by an MS in Operations Research/Computer Science from Cornell in 1969 and an MBA in Finance in 1971 from Drexel University.

After retiring from Rohm and Haas Company, Raj and his wife Kamla established their family's Ujala Foundation (which means "light" in Hindi), focusing on education and healthcare, equally directed to India and the U.S. Since its inception, the Ujala Foundation has contributed towards an endowed professorship at Hopkins, initial funding for the Drexel University Gupta Governance Institute, fellowships at Drexel's Business School and Cornell University's School of Biomedical Engineering, and other causes, including Raj's alma mater IITBombay, and several civic and cultural organizations in India, such as Pratham and AIF, and the United States, such as the Philadelphia Zoo, Philadelphia Art Museum, and the Franklin Institute. To date, the Johns Hopkins Gupta-Klinsky India Institute represents the Ujala Foundation's single largest commitment.

Raj and Kamla split their time between suburban Philadelphia, PA, and Bonita Springs, FL. They are parents to two daughters and grandparents to three boys. Raj documented his personal and professional journey in a book titled Eight Dollars and a Dream: My American Journey, written in collaboration with Syd Havely and published in 2016.




Date and Time

Wednesday, September 2, 2026, 6:00 PM until 7:15 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada) (UTC-05:00)

Event Contact(s)

Sara North

Category

Virtual Event

Registration Info

Registration is required
Payment In Full In Advance Only
Refunds are not provided for cancellations; however, a credit will be issued for use at future events.

This event is virtual. Unlimited slots available for virtual participation. The meeting link will be emailed to registrants the day prior to the event.

Number of People Who Will Attend

Guest - Virtual Option
$40.00
Diamond Event Sponsor (includes 4 event passes)
$1,000.00
Platinum Event Sponsor (includes 2 event passes)
$750.00
Gold Event Sponsor
$500.00
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