Kimberly Lau Heads Up America's Longest-Running Magazine

A Chinese American woman seeks a broader audience for Scientific American by bringing it into the digital age.

Some are surprised to learn that Scientific American is the longest running publication of any kind in the US.  They're even more surprised that it's headed by Kimberly Lau, a Chinese American with a background in consumer publications.

Scientific American launched in August 1845 as a 4-page newspaper edited by inventor Rufus Porter.  As the venerated publication enters its 180th year corporate owner Spring Nature (53% controlled by Germany's major Holtzbrinck Publishing Group) would like to expand its digital presence while continuing publication of its glossy print monthly.  That objective made Lau a good pick for Springer Nature's vice president of consumer media and president of SciAm.

Before her move to SciAm in January 2022 Lau had worked at Atlantic Monthly Group since 2012, most recently as The Atlantic's Executive Vice President Strategic Partnerships and Business Development.  Prior to that she had been Vice President, Business Development and Partner Relations at Hearst Magazines.  Those earlier roles rely heavily on the ability to increase advertising sales by positioning and promoting publication audiences to brand marketers, as well as improving operational efficiency.

That type of work was a far cry from the visceral love of magazines that had steered her toward the field.

"I was really obsessed with magazines when I was a teenager, but never really thought about what a  career would be," she told Her Agenda.  

"I started out with an economics degree, but I graduated from college and decided that I really wanted to be a graphic designer, which I know sounds a little bit insane and I wouldn’t recommend that as a path to people."

Five and a half years as a graphic designer convinced her that she didn't have the level of talent she saw in the designers she worked with.  While working for a nonprofit in the late 1990s she discovered her strength in project management and web design.  Wanting to put herself in a position of more influence over her projects, she decided to seek an MBA.  That led to her job at Hearst Magazine in an executive capacity.

Being VP of Consumer Media for Springer Nature and President of Scientific American gives her responsibility for for SciAm in the US and its German counterpart Spectrum.

"I am thrilled to work with such an important and renowned brand like Scientific American,” Lau said on taking on her current job. “I see huge opportunities to amplify and grow these publications, especially at this time when quality science journalism is so critical to helping us understand and address the challenges in our world."