Liza Ilarde: Blazing a new trail

In the world of publishing, especially when it comes to glossy fashion magazines, few names elicit as much respect as that of Liza Ilarde’s. As the woman at the helm of Mega magazine for almost two years, her name had become synonymous with quality, style and perfection. When she left Mega and decided to shun the limelight some two years ago, she was without a doubt sorely missed by readers, peers, friends and competitors alike.

Liza, however, was perfectly content with being able to breathe freely, without having to worry about deadlines and closing pages — and after 12 years in the magazine business, it’s quite understandable. That is, until the people at Infiniant Financial Holdings realized that the perfect editor-in-chief of the then still in the planning stages first Filipino magazine devoted strictly to travel was literally sitting pretty in her perfectly tranquil world. To make a long story short, after a two-year hiatus from the publishing world, Liza is back now as editor-in-chief of JetSet magazine.

"If you ask me if I’m happy with the way the magazine is going, I’ll have to admit that, yes, it’s improving by the issue. I think we’re beginning to achieve that balance between what’s practical and what’s glamorous. But maybe it’s just me but I feel that I’m never going to come up with a perfect issue. That there’s something more that can be done. That there will always be room for improvement," she admits.

So there you have it, the secret to Liza Ilarde’s success. Despite the already impressive showing of her newest "baby," Liza is the kind who will still continuously strive for perfection. Not that we didn’t know that before. The very fact that she’s made her mark in the publishing world before is enough proof that this lady is a go-getter. The fact that she’s back, however, is more than enough reason to assure us that she’s definitely got more good things in store for us all. In fact, with Liza Ilarde blazing a new trail, it’d be fun to watch and see just how much higher she can go this time around. —Dong Magsajo