On The Road Again
By Rob Wright, Chief Editor, Life Science Leader
Follow Me On Twitter @RfwrightLSL
This past March featured a variety of industry trade shows. Two of the biggest, Interphex and Partnerships in Clinical Trials, took place at the same time.
As I have not yet been able to duplicate myself so I can appear in two places at the same time, I had to pick one show to attend. (Note to the organizers of these shows: Could you avoid scheduling the exact same week next year?) Since our corporate offices are located in the Northeast, and I have had enough snow to last me for the year, the choice was easy — Partnerships in warm and sunny Arizona. Not that I was able to relax and enjoy the weather much. The show had a full program in celebration of its 20th anniversary, and I had the opportunity to network with some very interesting industry executives who may show up in some future issues. Stay tuned for more on those articles.
In fact, this issue is a good example of how my networking at industry events can lead to some great content for you, the reader. For example, on page 26 is an article I wrote after meeting Jeff Evans at the Conference Forum’s R&D Leadership Summit this past February. While we were having breakfast, Jeff shared with me his vision for his company and the pivotal role virtuals will play in drug discovery. But what really made this conversation interesting was, well, it was fun. I say that because I did not expect to meet a CEO, with a Ph.D. in organic chemistry no less, who was so down to earth, open, and funny. I also was fortunate enough to connect with Joe Connell, president of Regenicin. Joe is the “real deal.” How else would you describe someone that would say, “I realized a long time ago that I have never had a single person reporting to me — instead I’ve had their whole family. If they believe that I am a bad boss, the whole family is discussing it at the dinner table. I never wanted that.”
Dan Schell sharpened his pencil and put together an excellent feature story (page 10) on Fred Hassan, chairman of Bausch and Lomb and former CEO of Schering-Plough. Both Dan and I had the opportunity to meet Fred at this same conference, just another example of how being out at these key events leads to good content.
For next month’s issue, I am working on an article about innovation on a shoestring budget. Again, I got the idea for this article at a meeting I recently attended. When you can feel the blood pressure of attendees going up while listening to a speech, you have to write about it. Three of the people I am interviewing for this story I met at, you guessed it, a trade show. So, if you see me at one of these shows, please take the time to introduce yourself. Perhaps you have a story that needs to be told.
Finally, I would like to thank all those readers who emailed questions for the “Ask the Board” section (page 8). I have a bunch of books I am looking forward to giving away real soon, so keep those questions coming!