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GoPro has added Lauren Zalaznick, a well-known former NBCUniversal* exec, to its board. The move is a good one for the maker of portable cameras, since she has substantive media and programming experience. It’s an area the company has been trying to break into, with only mixed success.
“I see GoPro as a global change agent in evolving how people tell and experience the stories that shape their lives,” said Zalaznick in a blog post. “GoPro also represents what excites me in any modern company — the recognition they need to embrace, empower and promote diversity, in the company and in their customer base.”
Zalaznick is a longtime media pro who has also been digitally savvy. At NBCU, for example, she ran the Bravo cable network and shepherded such hits as “Project Runway” and “Top Chef.” Her other current board seats include Nielsen, Shazam and Penguin Random House and she is also an adviser to Greycroft Partners and Refinery29.
The board of GoPro is likely to be busy over the next year. Among the issues it will likely be dealing with is saturation in the portable camera market; the need to roll out new products with sharper execution (Hero 5 and drones); the future direction of its media efforts; and its lack of profitably this year and stock weakness. And, perhaps most dicey of all, whether co-founder and CEO Nick Woodman will eventually hand over that job to COO Tony Bates.
Also of note: GoPro’s longtime rival Ion just filed for bankruptcy protection, a development that is both good (one less competitors) and bad (market growth weakness) for the company.
* NBCU is an investor in Recode parent company Vox Media.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
