Corning Inc, one of the world's leading players in materials science, has announced that Sudhir Pillai has been appointed to the role of MD for Corning India. Pillai replaces Amit Bansal, who has decided to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities after spending more than a decade with the company.

Corning has expertise in glass science, ceramic science, and optical physics along with its deep manufacturing and engineering capabilities to develop category-defining products. The company’s markets include mobile consumer electronics, optical communications, automotive technologies, life sciences technologies, and display technologies.

Pillai, who most recently served as Commercial Director, Corning Life Sciences will be based in Gurgaon, Haryana and will spearhead the company’s growth and operations in India and neighbouring countries. He will also oversee Corning’s optical fibre manufacturing operations in Pune, India.

Thomas Appelt, president, Corning International said: “Sudhir has contributed significantly to the growth of the Corning Life Sciences business in India. Corning remains deeply committed to growing its customer base in India and helping to enhancing life in the communities in which we operate. Sudhir brings extensive experience in working in diverse locations and I am confident that he will drive Corning’s growth plans for India.”

Commenting on his new role, Sudhir Pillai said: “Since I joined Corning, I have been excited to be a part of Corning’s journey in India focused on growth avenues well aligned with the organisation. Today, with this new responsibility, I am committed to taking the company’s vision forward and utilise my learnings in the field to ensure growth for the company in India.”

According to Corning, Pillai brings with him close to 20-years of experience in increasing levels of leadership in organisations across diverse industry segments, including telecommunications. Since joining the company last year, he has been leading Corning’s Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical Technologies businesses in India and neighboring countries. In his last role before joining Corning, Pillai was the GM and director of Honeywell Electrical Devices & Systems. He is a graduate in electronics science and completed his MBA in marketing from University of Pune.