Avery Nelson III | Our Leadership | Corning

Senior Vice President & General Manager, Automotive, Solar & Life Sciences

Hal Nelson was appointed senior vice president and general manager, Automotive, Solar, and Life Sciences, in January 2024. In this role, Nelson has end-to-end responsibilities for the Automotive, Solar, and Life Sciences organizations and for pursuing growth opportunities in these markets. Nelson also serves as a director of the board for Corning’s subsidiary, Hemlock Semiconductor.

Nelson joined Corning in 1991 as shift supervisor at the Harrodsburg, Kentucky, plant and subsequently served in progressive roles in Corning Display Technologies.

In 2007, Nelson joined Corning Environmental Technologies (CET) as general manager, Corning (Shanghai) Company Limited, located in Shanghai, China. In 2009, he assumed the role of general manager and regional director of China and India, CET, before returning to the U.S. as program director, CET, in 2010. In 2011, Nelson assumed the role of business director, AAA Corning® Gorilla® Glass, New Business Development. Later that year, he returned to CET as division vice president, Heavy Duty Diesel (HDD).

Nelson was appointed vice president and general manager for Environmental Technologies in 2014 and was named senior vice president and general manager, CET, in 2018, where he continued to lead the CET division in executing its business plan to create value for Corning’s customers and deliver profitable growth.

In 2020, Nelson was appointed senior vice president and general manager, Automotive. This role included leadership of the Automotive Market-Access Platform, consisting of Corning Environmental Technologies (CET) and Automotive Glass Solutions (AGS), as well as responsibility for pursuing new opportunities in automotive-related markets. In 2023, his role was expanded to include development of new business opportunities in solar markets.

Nelson holds a bachelor’s degree in ceramic engineering from Clemson University and a master’s degree in business administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, graduating with honors as a Tuck Scholar.