Raj L. Gupta joined Rohm and Haas in 1971 as a financial analyst. He held positions of increasing responsibility during the decade, including a two-year stint as special assistant to the president of the company.
In 1979, he began work in Europe, first as financial manager of the U.K. subsidiary, then as strategic planning director for the region, and finally as assistant manager for the company's substantial operations in France.
In 1984, Mr. Gupta was named business manager for Ion Exchange Resins in Europe. In 1987, he took on the responsibilities of business director for Plastics in Europe. Two years later, Mr. Gupta became business unit director for the worldwide Plastics Additives business.
He was elected a vice president of the company and was named director for the Pacific Region in 1993. Early in 1996, Mr. Gupta became one of six members of the Chairman's Committee and given oversight responsibility for the company's Electronic Materials business group.
In December 1998, Mr. Gupta was elected to the Board of Directors and named Vice Chairman in January 1999. He became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer on October 1, 1999. Mr. Gupta assumed the additional title of President in early 2005 and held that title until May 2008.
Mr. Gupta holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (1967), a M.S. degree in Operations Research from Cornell University (1969), and a M.B.A. in Finance from Drexel University (1972).
Mr. Gupta is a past Chairman of the American Chemistry Council, and the Society of Chemical Industry, America Section. He sits on the board of trustees for The Conference Board. He is a member of the boards of Tyco, The Vanguard Group, and Hewlett-Packard Company.
He and his wife, Kamla, are residents of Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.
Betsy Rafael is the Vice President Corporate Controller and Principal Accounting Officer at Apple. She leads a team responsible for Global Accounting activities and business partner support to the Sales, Service, Operations, Marketing and Engineering organizations.
Prior to joining Apple, Rafael was Vice President of Corporate Finance at Cisco Systems. In this role, she drove the financial analysis and business decision making support for short- and long- term financial planning for the company. She played an instrumental role in the company’s investment and acquisition strategies. Additionally, she also held the office of Vice President, Corporate Controller and Principal Accounting Officer, responsible for all financial aspects of the corporation.
Rafael brings over 20 years of finance and operations experience at both small and large high-tech companies in the Silicon Valley. Prior to her tenure at Cisco, Rafael held executive or senior management positions at Aspect Communications, Escalate, SGI, Sun, and Ernst & Young.
Rafael is a member of the Echelon board of directors. Rafael has a bachelor's degree in accounting from Santa Clara University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Heng Wong is a global business leader with demonstrated success in turnaround situations, crisis management, product launches, competitive strategy, business development, and portfolio strategy. He pioneered innovative approaches, built a strong record of recruiting and developing talent, and created passionate teams. In his 18 years at Johnson & Johnson, Heng assumed roles of increasing responsibility around the globe including Worldwide Vice President, Global Strategic Marketing; Managing Director, Australia/New Zealand; Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Asia-Pacific; Executive Director, Marketing, USA; and Product Director, USA. He started his business career as a sales representative in New Jersey.
Heng was also with The Wilkerson Group in New York where he led consulting projects for pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies, biotechnology companies, and financial investors. Typical assignments included strategy development and implementation, business development, valuation, mergers & acquisitions analysis, and technology assessment.
Currently, Heng is a struggling entrepreneur with the good fortune of attempting to start businesses in the midst of the worst economic recession most of us can remember.
He holds BS and MS degrees in Civil Engineering from Northwestern University and was a consultant engineer in California. Heng also holds a MBA degree from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Born in China and raised in Malaysia, Heng has lived and worked in North America, Asia, and Australia. He enjoys reading, hiking, and running. He is training to run his fourth marathon this year.
