Steve Venn moves up to top Kodak job

Long-term Kodak veteran and head of the company’s local Graphic Communications Group (GCG) is appointed managing director of Kodak Australasia.

The role will see Venn exercise control over both GCG and the traditional consumer products of the imaging giant. He will take over from February 1, before a replacement is announced for the GCG job.

“We’ll all be double-hatting here for a while, at least until next week,” he said. “It’s an interesting and challenging time.”

As part of his new role he will have to “get across’ the whole consumer portfolio. One of his first tasks is to drive synergies throughout the company.
The move comes as Kodak reorganises its executive level in the region with MD for Kodak Asia Pacific and GCG in the region, Gustavo Oviedo, moving up to general manager, worldwide sales and customer operations. Steve Green, formerly GCG manager Asia Pacific and well-known to the local industry from his years here, is now regional MD for consumer and commercial sales and customer operations, reporting to Oviedo.

Kodak has transformed itself in recent times into a business-to-business company as its traditional film-based consumer market disappeared. The raft of recent appointments is a recognition of the growing importance of the new business model and the need for a more focused organisation.