june1820098-k_kruchten.htm





UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934


Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): June 17, 2009



Eastman Kodak Company
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)



New Jersey
1-87
16-0417150
 
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)
(Commission File Number)
(IRS Employer Identification No.)


343 State Street,
Rochester, New York 14650
(Address of Principal Executive Office) (Zip Code)


Registrant's telephone number, including area code:   (585) 724-4000


Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 [  ]
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 [  ]
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 [  ] 
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 [  ] 
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c)under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 


 
 

 

Item 5.02 
Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.


On June 18, 2009, Eastman Kodak Company announced the consolidation of the positions of President and Chief Operating Officer of its Film, Photofinishing and Entertainment Group (“FPEG”).  Also on June 18, 2009, the Company announced the appointment of Brad W. Kruchten, Vice President, as President, FPEG, effective July 1, 2009.  Mr. Kruchten joined the Company in 1982 and currently holds the position of Chief Operating Officer of FPEG.

As a result of the consolidation, on June 18, 2009, the Company announced the retirement of Mary Jane Hellyar, Executive Vice President and President, FPEG, effective July 1, 2009.  On June 17, 2009, the Executive Compensation and Development Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors approved the payment of Ms. Hellyar’s severance arrangement, which will be consistent with the previously disclosed terms of her August 18, 2006 letter agreement with the Company.

The Company issued a press release relating to these events on June 18, 2009, which is attached to this filing as Exhibit (99.1).


Item 9.01   Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

(99.1) 
Press release issued by Eastman Kodak Company on June 18, 2009 relating to the appointment of Bradley Kruchten.





 
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SIGNATURES
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
 
 
EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
 
 
By:   /s/ Robert L. Berman

                                                                                                Robert L. Berman
                                                                                                Chief Human Resources Officer
                                                                                                 and Senior Vice President
 
Date:  June 18, 2009
 

 
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EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
INDEX TO EXHIBITS

Exhibit No.

 (99.1)
Press release issued by Eastman Kodak Company on June 18, 2009 relating to the appointment of Bradley Kruchten.






 
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exhibit991.htm

Exhibit (99.1)

EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY

Media Contact:
David Lanzillo, Kodak, +1 585-781-5481, david.lanzillo@kodak.com


Kodak Promotes Brad Kruchten to Lead Traditional Businesses
Management Layers Streamlined; Mary Jane Hellyar to Retire

ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 18 – Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE:EK) announced today that Brad W. Kruchten has been promoted to the position of President of the company’s Film, Photofinishing and Entertainment Group, effective July 1. He will report to Antonio M. Perez, Kodak’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Kruchten, 49, is presently the Chief Operating Officer of FPEG, with responsibility for the manufacture of all silver halide-based products. As part of this change, the positions of President and COO for FPEG will be combined, resulting in a leaner management structure. Mary Jane Hellyar, who is currently the President of FPEG, will retire on July 1 after 27 years of service to Kodak.
The company’s Film, Photofinishing and Entertainment Group manufactures and markets film for cinematographers, professional photographers, consumers and industrial customers. FPEG, which also manufactures and sells photographic paper and chemicals, had revenue of $2.987 billion in 2008.
“I am delighted to have someone of Brad’s ability to succeed Mary Jane and extend the success of this business into the future,” Perez said. “Brad has a broad range of senior management experience in both digital and film businesses, and his career is marked by business improvements in every leadership job he has held. I have every confidence that Brad is the right person to lead this business for Kodak.”
“At the same time, we will miss the talent and energy of Mary Jane Hellyar,” Perez said. “She led the traditional business through the most tumultuous time in its history. We will miss her insight and integrity, and on behalf of the entire Kodak family, we wish her well in retirement.”
Prior to his current position, Kruchten was the Worldwide General Manager for Retail Printing, which enables retailers to offer an integrated retail photo printing service to film and digital photographers. These products and services include kiosks, paper, retail workflow software, service, and support. In particular, during Kruchten’s tenure, Kodak extended its lead as the world’s No. 1 provider of retail photo kiosks and introduced the APEX dry lab for photo processing. Before that, he was the General Manager for the Consumer and Professional film business. The Board of Directors elected him a corporate vice president in July 2002.
Kruchten joined Kodak in 1982 as a Quality Engineer. Beginning in 1986, he took a series of sales and marketing positions that ultimately led him to become the Chief Operating Officer of Kodak’s Document Imaging unit in 2000. As COO, he led the acquisition of the Imaging division of Bell & Howell. In 2001, Kruchten was named Site Manager, Kodak Colorado Division, and in 2002, he was named the Chief Executive Officer of Encad Inc., a wholly-owned Kodak subsidiary that made wide-format inkjet printers.
 
 
 
 

 
 
   Prior to Kodak, Kruchten worked as a project engineer at Inland Steel and as a tool designer for General Motors Corp. A native of Flint, Michigan, Kruchten has a B.S. in Engineering from Michigan State University, a M.S. in Statistics and Quality Management from the Rochester Institute of Technology, and has attended the Executive Management Development program at Pennsylvania State University.
“I am pleased to have the opportunity to lead an organization whose future performance is especially critical to Kodak,” Kruchten said. “Mary Jane Hellyar has set a high bar of excellence, and I look forward to making FPEG a sustainable profit generator for years to come.”
Hellyar, 56, joined Kodak in 1982 as a research scientist and proceeded to attain a variety of increasingly responsible positions. Her career at Kodak culminated with her being named the President of the Film & Photofinishing Systems Group in September 2005. In October 2007, the Board of Directors elected her an executive vice president.
Hellyar has led Kodak’s Display and Components Group as well, including the company’s pioneering OLED business. As part of this transition, Laura G. Quatela, Kodak’s Chief Intellectual Property Officer and a corporate vice president, also will assume responsibility for the Display and Components Group upon Hellyar’s retirement.
"I'm grateful for the breadth of opportunities I've had at Kodak, particularly leading FPEG during the company's historic transformation,” Hellyar said. “I remain confident in Kodak, and in the ability of Brad and his team to lead FPEG successfully into the future."
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