As John Connolly settles into his new post as president & CEO of M|C Communications, he may find certain experiences from his past especially useful.

Compliance is one area. Connolly was formerly president and CEO of Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), manager of proxy voting and other corporate governance tasks for public companies.

In an interview, the new CEO drew comparisons between Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requirements in his previous business and those of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education in the CME business, saying his “appreciation and skill set” for compliance will serve him well in his new role.

So will being in the spotlight and talking with the media.

“ISS was on CNBC 20 times in the last 24 months while I was there,” Connolly recalled.
He takes over the position from John Mooney, who will remain chairman, the company said. Mooney, having led M|C Communications for 13 years, stepped down to spend more time with his family, including a three-year-old daughter.

M|C Communications produces the Pri-Med Conference & Exhibitions, one of the largest series of educational meetings aimed at primary care physicians. In 2008, the company forecasts over 150,000 US MDs will attend its sessions, 350,000 globally.

Pri-Med already runs a group of smaller conferences and symposia called Updates, as well as med ed programs for psychiatrists, pharmacists, cardiologists and neurologists.

It plans to launch into other markets, including oncology, soon, Connolly said. Its big, live confabs aimed at GPs will also see more interactivity, with programming delivered on digital devices.

In 1989 Connolly started publishing firm Course Technology, which he sold two years later to Thomson and became CEO of Thomson Media.

Before that, he held senior posts with publishers Lippincott Williams and Wilkins and the educational group of Addison-Wesley.