AIMEE K. WILES SHANGHAI * David Swift, head of Kodak's Greater Asia Region, has worked out of Shanghai's Nanjing Road district for three years. He says Chinese culture guides him as the company tries innovative ways to reach new customers.

By Ben Rand
Democrat and Chronicle

(June 25, 2000) -- He has a broad, boyish smile, goes by ''Dave'' around the office and likes to share personal stories even while talking about business.

But don't misread David L. Swift's friendly nature as a sign he is a pushover. The 42-year-old -- Eastman Kodak Co.'s senior executive in China the past four years -- says he is plenty aggressive when it comes to winning.

''You've got to be willing to take action,'' says Swift, a chief architect of Kodak's success in China. ''I'd rather have people take action, and maybe not always be right, than to take no action.''

So far, neither indecision nor wrong moves have been much of a worry. Since Swift started in China in late 1996, Kodak has taken over three state-owned photographic factories, opened a network of more than 5,000 retail stores and become the country's best-selling film. The results speak loudly: Revenue was up 36 percent in 1999 to more than $300 million and China is Kodak's second-largest market. Kodak's consumer film market share is now above 40 percent, up from the low teens.

It all translates into a bright future for Swift, a man who gets so close to his staff that he shed tears last month at a commemorative ceremony for Robert F. Marsh, a human resources executive who died unexpectedly in March.

Analysts say Swift's age and stellar resume mean he could very well climb to the company's highest levels. It certainly didn't take long for him to begin making that move.

Swift joined Kodak in 1981 as a manufacturing engineer in optics after graduating from Amherst College in Massachusetts with an honors degree in physics and mathematics.

Six years later, the company sponsored him to get his master's of business administration at Harvard University.

Swift at Kodak Title: Chairman, Greater Asia Region and senior vice president. Age: 42 Career highlights: Joined company in 1981; assistant to chairman and CEO, 1993 to 1995; general manager, digital and applied imaging, 1995 to 1997; chairman and president, Greater China, 1997-1999; named to current position in 1999.

Six years after that, Swift, a native of Wilbraham, Mass., was named an assistant to Kay Whitmore, then Kodak's chairman and chief executive officer. He first was sent to China as vice chairman of the region in late 1996 and took over the business fully in September 1997. Since then, it has been a whirlwind of activity.

Swift and his wife, Dr. Martha Swift, a family physician, live in Shanghai with their 5-year-old son. Michael spoke his first words in China and they were a sign of a keen observer: ''So many people.'' Despite all the success, Swift, a fiend for Coca-Cola, knows it could all disappear if he and his team don't stay on top of the market.

''The growth has been terrific. Last year our sales for the country grew over 36 percent, our earnings grew 58 percent,'' he says. ''But is it enough? Should I be happy with 36, or should it be 50? Are we building ourselves for the maximum amount of success?''

Aggressive or not, Swift has gained a reputation as someone who doesn't take himself too seriously.

''Dave would be the first guy to tell you that he didn't do it. He's a very humble guy. And I think that's a key piece of being a good leader,'' Chief Executive Officer Daniel A. Carp said.

''No one in today's business world does it on their own . . . Dave's built a good team. He wouldn't have been able to deliver what he's delivered without a whole heckuva lot of good people.''