This Kodak moment is far from picture perfect

Old school photography giant Kodak is popping up all over the news this week as its stock is poppin’, thanks to the company’s announcement that it’s pivoting to drugs (as in the development of pharmaceuticals) with the aid of a ginormous federal loan.

Because it’s such an old brand — Kodak was founded way back in 1888 — the company’s very recent revival got us wondering whether it carried with it not just the nostalgia of yesteryear’s instant cameras, but also the badly aging relic of an all-male, all-white board. The answer, sadly, is a resounding yes. There are zero women and zero people of color on the seven-member board of directors.

That got us wondering whether the recently revived company — founded way back in 1888 and very nearly dead earlier this year — carried with it not just the nostalgia of yesteryear’s instant cameras, but also the badly aging relic of an all-male, all-white board. The answer, sadly, is a resounding yes. There are zero women and zero people of color on the seven-member board of directors.

Among the nine top executives listed on the company’s site, just one was a woman — Kodak Chief Information Officer Kim VanGelder — and all are white.

To recap, there are zero BIPOC directors and execs and just one woman among the 16 listed on Kodak’s website.

The company has not yet responded to requests for comment.

Perhaps Kodak’s reincarnation as a Big Pharma company — and its attendant exponentially increased valuation — will result in shareholder pressure to diversify its top ranks given the proven business case to do so and the corporate pivot towards serving the greater good.