Kenneth Hardesty
International Technology CEO
Kenneth Hardesty is an international technology manufacturing CEO/COO with a dynamic professional career in both private and public companies. At various time in his career, he has lived and worked in the US, Asia, India or Europe and worked with local and country governments, accessing capital markets, and building shareholder/stakeholder confidence. As CEO, he has directly established sales and a global audience, establishing global manufacturing operations from start-up, to over seven thousand employees.
Mr. Hardesty started his career at IBM Corporation, then left to start up as founder/CEO and President of DATA MAGNETICS COMPANY, beginning with IBM as its only customer. Over the next nine years, he led and built the company into a major high technology global sub-contracting manufacturing and licensing/engineering company. DATA MAGNETICS went public in Hong Kong, employing over seven thousand employees, in eighteen manufacturing facilities in six countries.
Mr. Hardesty was Senior Vice President of Corporate Development for SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY, Founder of DISC MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY, with Seagate as his first customer, building the company to profitability and then sold the company to Komag Corporation. He was President of ROSSI-HARDESTY FINANCIAL, COO/Executive Vice President of worldwide operations at SYQUEST TECHNOLOGY, CEO of CASINO DATA SYSTEMS, a developer of major corporate software tracking systems for companies.
Some of the largest and highly respected world-wide customers and partnerships that Mr. Hardesty developed and worked with directly to get his companies qualified and approved as major suppliers are: In the United States – IBM, HP, Storage Technology, Digital Equipment, Seagate, Texas Instruments. In Europe – Siemens, BASF, Phillips and Olivetti. In Japan – TDK, Matsushida, Sony, Akai, Hitachi, Toshiba, Fujitsu, and many others worldwide.
Mr. Hardesty assists Gerbsman Partners, where appropriate, as a CEO in residence, working in the technology, life science, medical device and cleantech companies. He also provides guidance for strategic partnering opportunities, as well as contract manufacturing and licensing partners in Asia, India and worldwide.