Board Changes

RNS Number : 7143V

hVIVO plc

20 April 2016

 

For immediate release 07:01: 20 April 2016

HVIVO PLC

("hVIVO" or the "Company")

BOARD CHANGES

hVIVO plc (AIM: HVO), the pioneer of human disease models, is pleased to announce changes to its Board to support hVIVO's continued growth and evolution.  David Norwood, who was appointed Chairman of the Board in 2011 and served in that capacity until 2014, will be retiring as a Non-Executive Director by rotation at the Company's AGM on 23 May 2016 and not seeking reappointment.  Alison Fielding, who has served as a Non-Executive Director of hVIVO since July 2014, will also be retiring at the Company's AGM.  Mark Warne joins the hVIVO Board as a Non-Executive Director with immediate effect and which will be proposed for approval at the Company's AGM. 

Both David and Alison have provided invaluable guidance to hVIVO since they joined.  While David Norwood is retiring as a Director, he will continue to support hVIVO as a strategic consultant.  David has played a pivotal role in crafting the hVIVO vision and business strategy since 2011, along with providing stewardship as a Director.  In his new role as a consultant to hVIVO, he will continue to support hVIVO in the development of our strategy and investor relations.  Alison has provided valuable experience building high performance companies and has helped to steer hVIVO's evolution into a more products-based organisation.

Mark brings a wealth of technology commercialisation experience to help direct hVIVO through its next chapter of product development and value creation.  He is Head of IP Group plc's Healthcare division, which at the end of December 2015 had shareholdings in 31 companies valued at over £275 million.  He represents IP Group plc on the boards of a number of its portfolio companies, both quoted and private.  Mark has been at IP Group since 2008 and has extensive experience in building world-changing healthcare businesses as well as in managing transactions including portfolio company IPOs, financings and M&A. 

Kym Denny, Chief Executive Officer, commented, "hVIVO is moving quickly to broaden its platform and commercialise its discoveries.  The changes to our Board enable us to continue that momentum forward.  I would like to thank both Dave and Ali for helping hVIVO make enormous strides on our journey to revolutionise drug development, by putting humans at the heart of drug discovery.  I would like to welcome Mark Warne who will play an instrumental role in guiding hVIVO's future commercialisation strategies."

Dr Mark Robert Warne, aged 40, is a director/ partner or has been a director/ partner of the following companies/ partnerships during the previous five years:

Current

Capsant Neurotechnologies Limited

Cronin Group plc

Crysalin Limited

Genomics plc

Oxford CADD Limited

Previous

Bristol Innovations Limited

Oxtox Limited

31 Howard Road Management Limited

Optimal Medicine Inc

OM France SARL

Dr Mark Warne holds 5,677 ordinary shares of 5p each in hVIVO plc.

Save for the information disclosed above there is no other information to be disclosed on Dr Mark Warne under Schedule 2(g) of the AIM Rules.

For further information please contact:

hVIVO plc                                                                                          [phone]

Kym Denny (CEO)

Graham Yeatman (Chief Financial & Business Officer)

Media Enquiries                                                      [phone] / [phone]

Colin Paterson (Director of Marketing, Communication and PR)

Numis Securities Limited                                                                      [phone]

Michael Meade / Freddie Barnfield (Nominated Adviser)

James Black / Michael Burke (Corporate Broking)

Notes to Editors:

hVIVO plc ("hVIVO") is a life sciences company pioneering a technology platform of human disease models to accelerate drug discovery and development in respiratory and infectious diseases, including flu, RSV, asthma and common cold.  hVIVO has commercialised four disease models, successfully enrolled over 2,000 subjects and conducted over 40 product validation studies for a wide range of industry, government and academic clients and collaborators.

 

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