Sidney Lu

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Foxconn Interconnect Technology, Ltd.

If you own an iPad or an iPhone, you are already connected to Sidney Lu—a globally esteemed business leader and the founding Chairman and CEO of Foxconn Interconnect Technology (FIT). While FIT is widely recognized as a core manufacturing partner for Apple devices, its impact extends far beyond consumer electronics. Under Mr. Lu’s leadership, the company has achieved significant advancements in strategic sectors such as 5G AIoT, EV mobility, and audio technologies.

Headquartered in Taiwan, FIT is a world-leading provider of high-precision electronic interconnect components, with R&D and manufacturing operations spanning Asia, Europe, and the Americas—including a key research facility at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Research Park. In recent years, the company has further expanded its footprint into high-growth markets, notably India, the Middle East, and Africa.

Mr. Lu, along with his two brothers, left Taiwan to pursue higher education in Illinois, where he quickly distinguished himself through exceptional academic discipline—completing an extraordinary 58 credit hours in his first year, nearly double the average course load of a typical freshman.

That same level of rigor and determination fueled his rapid rise at Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. (Foxconn Technology Group). Starting as a design manager for connectors, Lu swiftly advanced through the organization. Within 18 months, he was leading a team of 60 engineers. Over the following years, he assumed increasing responsibilities, eventually managing an entire business unit encompassing both design and manufacturing. By 2003, he was appointed head of the entire connector and cable division. He later served as Executive Vice President of Hon Hai and General Manager of its Network Interconnection Group (NWInG).

Throughout his tenure, Lu played a key role in reshaping the company’s engineering and operational capabilities. He championed the integration of scientific analysis and total quality systems across product development and manufacturing processes. Under his leadership, Foxconn’s connector group rose from an unranked position to become one of the top global providers in the computing-related connector and cable sector. Today, FIT ranks among the world’s top four connector manufacturers.

Lu has also served on the Board of Directors of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., the parent company of Foxconn, where his strategic insight was instrumental in guiding the corporation through a pivotal period of transformation—helping solidify its position as a global leader in contract electronics manufacturing.

In recognition of his professional accomplishments and contributions, Lu was named a Distinguished Alumni by the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering in 2011, and in 2015, he received The Grainger College of Engineering Alumni Award for Distinguished Service.

In 2014, to honor his mother’s visionary support and steadfast belief in the power of education, Mr. Lu established the Tungchao Julia Lu Professorship in Mechanical Science and Engineering. He continued his legacy of philanthropic impact in 2015 with a $12 million gift to create the Lu Center for Learning and Innovation. In 2019, in recognition of his transformative $21.5 million contribution to the “Transform MEB” project, the Mechanical Engineering Building at Grainger Engineering was renamed the Sidney Lu Mechanical Engineering Building.

Degrees

• 1981, B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• 1981, B.S., Mathematics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign