Chris Bennett: New era carries on strong tradition

Succession planning is something that I have often talked about in this column and Optician is about to enter its own period of transition.

Engaging the next generation in decision making and strategy is vital for businesses to keep pace with their markets, enthuse the next generation and secure the future. From this month I will be taking on the new role of editor-in-chief giving Optician the opportunity to welcome its seventh editor, Simon Jones.

It’s remarkable that in its 128 year history Optician has had so few editors, but they have a habit of hanging on. Twenty years ago I was approached by the then publisher to join the title with a view to broadening its appeal and changing its approach. Having edited magazines in the engineering and automotive sector I remember thinking how difficult it was going to be to fill a weekly title about optics. One thousand editions of Optician later I now understand how wrong I was.