Printer industry exec Bernard Masson named to lead Kodak Display Group

Mike Dickinson//December 6, 2002//

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Eastman Kodak Co. has tapped a printer industry veteran to head its expanding Display Group.
Bernard Masson previously served as president of the Consumer Printer Division of Lexmark International Inc. He will report to Kodak chairman and CEO Daniel Carp.
Masson, 55, will oversee all of Kodak’s Display businesses, including the Kodak Display Products business unit, the SK Display joint venture and emerging new display businesses from Kodak’s research labs.
Reporting to Masson will be Les Polgar, president and general manager of the Kodak Display Products business unit, based in California. That unit has focused on Kodak’s organic light-emitting diode technology.
Currently, Kodak’s OLED flat-screen technology is used in several products, including premium car audio systems and Internet-enabled mobile phones. The first full-color, active-matrix products will reach customers in 2003, company officials said.
Kodak remains committed to generating $500 million in OLED-related display sales by 2005, and the company now plans to accelerate the commercialization of other new display-related technologies as part of a broader strategy to win new business in new markets.
“Bernard spent 28 years in the computer and technology industry and gained significant experience in start-up businesses that achieved rapid technology development, rising market share and profitable growth,” Carp said. “As the market opportunity for displays grows, it requires additional management resources. We add a manager with experience in moving technology from the research lab to the marketplace.”
At Lexmark, Masson was executive vice president and president of the Consumer Printer Division from 1997 to 2001. Under his leadership, revenues in Lexmark’s Consumer Printer Division grew from less than $200 million to more than $1.5 billion.
In May, he joined Kodak as a consultant to the Photography Group. Masson will be based in Rochester.
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12/06/02 (C) Rochester Business Journal