I still remember the time I discovered that people don’t just skip over this column. In the November/December 2000 issue, I wrote a sarcastic take on our editorial guidelines, with the note that anyone using “win-win relationship” in an article would be banned from contributing to Contract Pharma for one year. At INTERPHEX next March, readers stopped by our booth to tell me how they laughed over that editorial, or winkingly talked to me about “win-win relationships.” I thought, “Uh-oh. They’re actually paying attention to me.” (I later expanded my ‘banned phrases’ to include “communication is key.”)

Since those days, I’ve shared a lot with you in this column: my wedding, my dogs, my travel adventures (including my bungee-jump in New Zealand), my basketball metaphors, my Talmudic musings, and of course my thoughts and observations about our industry, its regulatory environment and the short- and long-term imperatives that affect it all. I’ve always been thankful for your feedback, even when you called me a nitwit.

So it’s with a heavy heart that I have to use this space to let you know that this is my final issue as editor of Contract Pharma.

I’m leaving the magazine in order to launch the Pharma & Biopharma Outsourcing Association (PBOA), a trade group for CMOs and CDMOs. There’ll be more information about the PBOA in future issues, and I plan to work closely with Contract Pharma going forward, writing a regular column and helping organize the annual Contracting & Outsourcing Conference & Exhibition (Sept. 18-19 at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick, NJ!).

For now, I’ll be working to build the PBOA, recruiting members, developing a legislative/regulatory agenda and giving the CMO/CDMO sector a voice with FDA and Congress.

My successor will make sure that this magazine doesn’t skip a beat. Agnes Shanley will take over as editor starting with our April issue. Agnes has years of experience in our industry, with successful tenures as editor in chief of Pharma Evolution, Pharma Manufacturing, PharmaQbD.com and KnowPharma.com. She was the first person to come to mind for this role when I thought about stepping down, and I have every confidence that she’ll do a great job editing this magazine.

It’s been an honor to help build Contract Pharma. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved during the past 14-plus years, and I’m sure that this magazine (and website, and conference) will continue to grow in the years ahead as the pre-eminent brand for contract services and outsourcing for pharma and biopharma. We’ve gotten as far as we have by respecting our readers and our sponsors, and I know that mentality won’t change after my departure.

I want to thank everyone who helped contribute to Contract Pharma’s success, beginning with the publishers who had the idea for the magazine and took a big risk to launch it: Gary Durr and Damaris Kope. Kristin Brooks has been by my side as associate editor for nearly 10 years; I couldn’t have asked for a better editorial partner. Sarah W. Madley held that role during our formative years (2000 to 2004) and was instrumental in our rocket-ride to the top. Verena Loewenthal has helped solidify our overseas standing. Company president Rodman Zilenziger and editorial director Tom Branna had faith in my editorial and organizational skills when they made me editor of this new magazine all those years ago. And without the efforts of “back office” staff like Lisa St. Charles, Jessi Carlin, Ed Schiro, Rich DeVoto and Joe DiMaulo, Contract Pharma as we know it wouldn’t exist.

Thanks, everyone (including our columnists and contributors): you’ve made me look good for almost 15 years now. I can’t wait to see how the industry develops in the next 15 years.

In closing, I’ll let you in on a big secret: Communication is key to a win-win relationship.

Sincerely,

Gil Roth
(soon-to-be former) Editor, Contract Pharma
groth@chimeraobscura.com

What I’m Reading
I don’t know if Agnes Shanley will continue the What I’m Reading tradition, but if you’re interested in keeping up with my literary adventures, you have a few options:

• Follow me at Goodreads.com/groth: http://bit.ly/1mHSWpD
• Check out my ongoing list of every book I’ve finished reading since 1989: http://bit.ly/jNs7Pc
• Listen to my weekly literary-cultural interview podcast, The Virtual Memories Show: http://bit.ly/M5oK62