We're Still New And Still Growing

By Rob Wright, Chief Editor, Life Science Leader
Follow Me On Twitter @RfwrightLSL

February marked the three-year anniversary of the first issue of Life Science Leader. So what, you say? Well, to the rest of the team and me, it’s a big deal. I doubt a lot of people in the industry thought we would last this long. After all, we launched during one of the worst recessions in history. During that time, we have seen other well-known companies and dozens of magazines — prestigious magazines — close their doors. Somehow, we managed to crank out 33 regular issues (that doesn’t include special supplements or guides), every one of which I am quite proud.

Don’t get me wrong; I know we’re still considered the new kid on the block in terms of pharma/bio industry publications. This fact was evident during a recent conference call we held with seven members of our contributing editor team. The majority of them told us that many of the industry executives they interview for our articles have limited knowledge of the magazine. My experience has been mixed in this regard. For example, when I asked the chief medical officer from Pfizer, Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall, for her opinion of the magazine, she not only gave us a rave review, but also made specific comments about a recent article she had read. On the flipside, I recently had a conversation with an executive who had been given a copy of the magazine by one of his colleagues. He told me after reading it that he was somewhat embarrassed for not having heard of it sooner. Given the amount of information available and our stage of evolution, it is understandable if some people are just finding out about us. But, all indications point to an improvement in our name recognition. We attend and exhibit at a lot of the top industry trade shows each year, and that’s also increasing. People are talking about our first CMO Leadership Awards (www.cmoleadershipawards.com), and they’ll soon be talking about our upcoming CRO Leadership Awards. We’re definitely moving in the right direction.

I’m especially happy about the ongoing improvements we’ve made to Life Science Leader’s content. During the past few years, we’ve learned a lot about what you want to read. We are adapting with each issue — our own quality by design (QbD) if you will. Of course, much of the credit for those changes lies with our editorial board as well as feedback from readers like you.

We still may be considered new, but that’s not always a bad thing. Sometimes new can mean better, and we hope that’s the impression you have of us as we embark upon our fourth year — and beyond. So, keep those suggestions coming, and FYI — if you get an email from me asking in the subject line for feedback — the answer to your question is yes, I sent it, personally. I really do want to know what you have to say.