SCI patron Raj Gupta chosen to receive 2007 Chemical Industry Medal
America International Group awards prestigious medal to Rohm and Haas chief
SCI’s American International Group will award the chemical industry’s prestigious 2007 Chemical Industry Medal to Raj L. Gupta, Chairman, President and CEO of Rohm and Haas Company during ceremonies in New York City on 8 March 2007.
The Chemical Industry Medal is awarded annually ‘for contributions toward the growth of the chemical industry.’ The award is especially notable in that the membership of the SCI is composed of the leaders of the chemical industry, most of whom work within the highest ranks of their respective companies.
Among other things, Gupta is being recognised for his continued commitment to the success of the global industry. Throughout his career, during which he worked on three continents, Gupta has encouraged both his company and others to hire the best possible people, to always behave in an ethical and responsible manner, and to promote a wider understanding of the benefits the industry’s technology brings to every day life.
'People all over the world want an equal opportunity to demonstrate their talents, to work for a company of which they can be proud, and to put their talents to help improve quality of life for themselves and for others.
'The global chemical industry provides all of those opportunities, and more.' |
‘People all over the world want the same thing, regardless of nationality or ethnic origin,’ he says. ‘They want to have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their talents, to work for a company of which they can be proud, and to put their talents to help improve the quality of life for themselves and for others. The global chemical industry provides all of those opportunities, and more.’
During his thirty-five year career with Rohm and Haas, Raj Gupta has helped to transform the company, with its Philadelphia-based headquarters, into a global powerhouse that generates revenues of $8 billion a year producing and selling specialty materials on six continents. He also has applied his business acumen to leadership roles at many for-profit and non-profit organisations.
Gupta’s international perspective and expertise is a product of his education, as well as his professional career. Gupta was born in Muzzaffarnagar, India. He studied at the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai, and was an earnest student who finished second in his class by the time he completed his undergraduate work in 1967. This earned him the opportunity for a fellowship at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. There he finished his master’s degree in operations research in 1969. He completed his MBA in Finance in 1971 from Drexel University while employed at Scott Paper Company.
Gupta joined Rohm and Haas in 1971 as a financial analyst. By the end of the decade he was working for the company in Europe, and during the 1980s assumed increasingly broader business responsibilities in the region, eventually becoming the global director for the Plastics Additives business in 1989.
By 1993, Gupta had become a vice president and was directing the company’s entire operations in the Pacific Region. He became member of the Chairman’s Committee in 1996 and added oversight of the Electronic Materials business group to his responsibilities. This was followed in 1998 by election to the Board of Director and, in 1999, by appointment as Vice Chairman. Gupta became the Chairman and CEO of Rohm and Haas later that year. The title of President was added in 2005.
Despite rapidly expanding job responsibilities, Gupta has made time to serve in a leadership capacity for numerous other organisations. He is currently a director of Tyco International Ltd. and the Vanguard Group. Gupta has also served as a past Chairman of the American Chemistry Council, the International Council of Chemical Associations, and the Society of Chemical Industry, American International Group. He continues to serve as a director of the American Chemistry Council as well as for the Chemical Heritage Foundation, while also serving as a trustee of Drexel University and the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowship. In addition, he is a member of International Advisory Board for the Center for the Advanced Study of India at the University of Pennsylvania. Gupta is a former director and trustee of St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and International House.
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About Rohm and Haas
Founded in 1909, Rohm and Haas is a key player in the specialist materials industry, with its technologies found in markets including building and construction, electronics, food and retail, household and personal care, industrial process, packaging, paper, transportation and water. Based in Philadelphia, PA, USA, the company generated annual sales of approximately $8 billion in 2005. Visit www.rohmhaas.com for more information.
About Raj
Raj was born in Muzzaffarnagar, India. He was one of two sons in the family. . . . Raj’s father dreamed that one would become a mechanical engineer; the other would join the Indian Administrative Service. Raj was chosen to become the engineer.
Raj frequently points out that the U.S. has a strong culture of inclusion and an ability to incorporate citizens from all over the world.
It also is known for its strong spirit of innovation and inventiveness. |
He studied at the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai, and was an earnest student who finished second in his class by the time he completed his undergraduate work in 1967. This earned him the opportunity for a fellowship at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. There he finished his master’s degree in operations research in 1969. After graduation, he came to Philadelphia to take a job with the Scott Paper Company.
Raj decided to join Rohm and Haas in 1971, working in the Financial Department. Raj says he came to Rohm and Haas because the company had operations in India, and he hoped that, one day, he might be able to return to India to work. He studied at night at Drexel University so that he could earn his MBA in Finance from that school in 1972.
After three and a half decades with Rohm and Haas, Raj still hasn’t be posted back to India, though he does return there from time to time to holiday with family and friends. He has moved around quite a bit during his career – he’s held 13 jobs under 17 bosses in three different countries. He’s held a few staff jobs and worked for a number of different businesses, serving markets as wide ranging as packaging, water treatment and electronics. He also headed up the company’s Asia-Pacific operations in the 1990s. In 1999, Raj was elected to become just the sixth chairman of Rohm and Haas, a company founded in 1909.
The global nature of his education and his work history has given Raj an interesting point of view on the American chemical industry. He frequently points out in conversation that the U.S. has a strong culture of inclusion and an ability to incorporate citizens from all over the world. It also is known for its strong spirit of innovation and inventiveness – characteristics that others envy, but thus far have perhaps not been able to emulate to the same degree. This gives him great confidence that the American chemical industry will continue to play an important role on the global stage, even through significant transitions in technology, markets, growth patterns, and more.
In addition to his position at Rohm and Haas, Raj sits on the board of trustees for Drexel University, and is a member of the board of Tyco, The Vanguard Group, the American Chemistry Council (where he recently served as Chairman) and the Chemical Heritage Foundation. He also is a recent Chair of the Society of Chemical Industry – American International Group.
In his spare time, Raj likes to play tennis, golf, and to travel.
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