Cardinal Health vs Kia: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: Cardinal Health and Kia side by side

1. 1944Kia

   Founding of Kyungsung Precision Industry

   Kim Chul-ho establishes a modest workshop in Seoul dedicated to the manufacturing of steel tubes and bicycle parts, laying the humble groundwork for what would eventually become a global automotive leader and a vital contributor to South Korea's post-war indus…

2. 1971Cardinal Health

   Cardinal Foods Founded by Robert D. Walter

   Robert D. Walter, a 26-year-old Harvard MBA graduate, borrowed $1.3 million to acquire the food-distribution division of Consolidated Foods in a leveraged buyout, establishing Cardinal Foods in Columbus, Ohio.

3. 1974Kia

   Launch of the Brisa, Kia's First Passenger Car

   Kia launched the Brisa, its first passenger car, built at the Sohari plant that opened in 1973. Kia had built motorcycles and light trucks before this, and the Brisa made it a carmaker.

4. 1979Cardinal Health

   Pivot to Pharmaceutical Distribution

   Walter acquired Bailey Drug Co., a pharmaceutical distributor in Zanesville, Ohio, marking Cardinal's entry into pharmaceutical distribution.

5. 1983Cardinal Health

   Cardinal Distribution Goes Public

   Cardinal Distribution Inc. completed its initial public offering on the NASDAQ at $1.03 per share, providing capital for continued expansion through acquisitions.

6. 1984Cardinal Health

   Acquisition of Ellicott Drug

   Cardinal acquired Ellicott Drug, a pharmaceutical distributor in Buffalo, New York, continuing the acquisition-driven expansion strategy that would define the company's growth for decades.

7. 1986Kia

   Launch of the Pride and Global Export Expansion

   Through a partnership with Ford and Mazda, Kia returned to passenger cars with the Pride. Abroad it was sold as the Ford Festiva, and it gave Kia its first large export volumes.

8. 1988Cardinal Health

   Sale of Food Operations to Roundy's Inc.

   Cardinal sold its remaining food operations to Roundy's Inc., completing the company's transition from a diversified food and drug distributor to a pure-play pharmaceutical distribution company.

9. 1994Cardinal Health

   Name Change to Cardinal Health

   The company changed its name from Cardinal Distribution to Cardinal Health, reflecting its expanding mission beyond pure distribution into healthcare services, manufacturing, and technology. Revenues exceeded $1 billion by 1991.

10. 1995Cardinal Health

    Acquisition of Medicine Shoppe International

    Cardinal acquired Medicine Shoppe International, the country's largest franchise of retail pharmacies, marking the company's first significant non-distribution acquisition and entry into retail pharmacy.

11. 1996Cardinal Health

    Acquisition of Pyxis Corp.

    Cardinal acquired Pyxis Corp., a manufacturer of automated supply and pharmaceutical dispensing systems for hospitals, adding medical technology capabilities to the company's portfolio.

12. 1998Kia

    Hyundai Motor Acquires Kia

    After Kia collapsed in the 1997 Asian financial crisis and went into court receivership, Hyundai Motor won the 1998 auction for it, beating Ford among other bidders. Kia stayed a separate brand within the new Hyundai Motor Group.

13. 1999Cardinal Health

    Acquisition of Allegiance Healthcare Corp.

    Cardinal acquired Allegiance Healthcare Corp. for approximately $4.4 billion, becoming a major player in the medical-surgical products market and establishing the foundation for what would become the Global Medical Products and Distribution segment.

14. 2006Kia

    Recruitment of Peter Schreyer

    The enterprise makes the radical decision to hire former Audi design chief Peter Schreyer as its head of design, initiating a profound aesthetic revolution that introduces the well-known tiger-nose grille and elevates the brand from a budget alternative to a p…

15. 2011Kia

    Launch of the Optima and the Design Renaissance

    The Schreyer-designed Optima (K5) sedan brought Kia's new design language to a wide audience and helped it charge more and reach new buyers.

16. 2013Cardinal Health

    Red Oak Sourcing Joint Venture with CVS

    Cardinal Health and CVS Caremark announced the creation of Red Oak Sourcing, a 50/50 joint venture to form the largest generic pharmaceutical sourcing entity in the United States. The venture began operations in July 2014 with an initial 10-year term.

17. 2014Cardinal Health

    Loss of Walgreens Contract

    Cardinal Health lost a major pharmaceutical distribution contract with Walgreens, which shifted its distribution to AmerisourceBergen. The contract had generated $3.3 billion in quarterly revenue.

18. 2017Cardinal Health

    Acquisition of Patient Recovery Business from Medtronic

    Cardinal Health acquired the Patient Recovery business from Medtronic for $6.1 billion, expanding its medical products portfolio and adding significant scale to the Global Medical Products and Distribution segment.

19. 2020Kia

    Announcement of the 'Plan S' Strategy

    Kia announced Plan S, its mid- to long-term strategy to move from a combustion-focused carmaker toward EVs, purpose-built vehicles and mobility services. In January 2021 it renamed itself Kia Corporation.

20. 2021Kia

    Launch of the EV6 and the E-GMP Platform

    The company introduces the award-winning EV6, the first dedicated electric vehicle built on the modular E-GMP platform, showcasing ultra-fast 800-volt charging capabilities and groundbreaking design, instantly establishing the enterprise as a serious technolog…

21. 2023Kia

    EV9 Launch

    Kia launched the EV9, a three-row electric SUV on the E-GMP platform, which went on to win the 2024 World Car of the Year award.

22. 2024Cardinal Health

    OptumRx Contract Non-Renewal Announced

    Cardinal Health's pharmaceutical distribution contracts with OptumRx (part of UnitedHealth Group) expired at the end of June 2024 and were not renewed. They represented about $38.1 billion of fiscal 2024 revenue.

23. 2025Cardinal Health

    Fiscal 2025 Results and Raised FY2026 Guidance

    Cardinal Health reported fiscal 2025 revenue of $222.6 billion, down about 2% after the OptumRx contract expiration, while net earnings rose to about $1.6 billion.

24. 2025Kia

    FY2025 Revenue Reaches KRW 114.141 Trillion

    Kia sold a record 3,135,873 vehicles and reported FY2025 revenue of ~$81 billion (KRW 114.1 trillion) (+6.2%). Operating profit fell 28.3% to ~$6.45 billion (KRW 9.08 trillion) as US tariffs cost more than $2.13 billion (KRW 3 trillion).

25. 2026Cardinal Health

    Fiscal 2026 Revenue Reaches $254.2 Billion

    Fiscal 2026 revenue rose 14% to $254.2 billion and non-GAAP EPS rose 37% to $11.26, with profit growth in all five operating segments.

26. 2026Kia

    2030 Targets Set at CEO Investor Day

    At its April 2026 CEO Investor Day, Kia set 2030 targets of ~$121 billion (KRW 170 trillion) in revenue, a 10% operating margin and 4.13 million sales. Q2 2026 revenue was a record ~$23.5 billion (KRW 33.04 trillion).

Acquisitions

Questions about Cardinal Health vs Kia