Imagine Media Forms Business Division

Posted on November 15, 1999

Imagine Media, publisher of the consumer business magazine Business 2.0 has announced the formation of a new operating unit. The new unit will leverage the success of the Business 2.0 brand and focus on developing new product lines. Michela O'Connor Abrams, a sixteen-year media and publishing veteran, has been appointed president of the division. She will oversee Business 2.0 and all new brand extensions.

Business 2.0 was launched last year by Imagine Media Inc., the US subsidiary of The Future Network. Since its inception, circulation at Business 2.0 has grown from 125,000 to a rate base of 210,000 as of January 2000. The November issue carries more than 207 advertising pages, a 174% percent increase over last year's November issue.

"This year has been an exhilarating one for Business 2.0. But despite the explosion in advertising and circulation we've enjoyed, we're still at the early stage of the brand's potential," explained Chris Anderson, chairman of The Future Network. "To successfully parlay the Business 2.0 brand into other media products and services, we needed the right structure, a dedicated business unit, and a superstar to run it. Michela's remarkable track record speaks for itself. She's one of the great leaders in our industry and I'm absolutely delighted that she is joining us."

Over the last sixteen years, O'Connor Abrams has held executive positions at IDG, Ziff-Davis and McGraw-Hill. Most recently, she served as president and CEO of Computerworld. Prior to IDG, she was chief operating officer of ZD Events, which produces industry-leading expositions and conferences such as Comdex, Seybold and Networld. She also served several years as a publisher and group vice president at McGraw-Hill.