Board Changes

RNS Number : 3803E

Retroscreen Virology Group PLC

09 April 2014

 



For immediate release 07.00: 9 April 2014

RETROSCREEN VIROLOGY GROUP PLC

("Retroscreen" or the "Company")

BOARD CHANGES

Retroscreen Virology Group plc (AIM: RVG), the pioneer of hVIVO human challenge models of disease, is pleased to announce strategic changes to its Board of Directors ("Board") as part of the Company's ambitious growth strategy.  Professor John Oxford, one of the founders of the Company and Duncan Peyton, who represented a pre-IPO investor the Northern Entrepreneurs Fund, are both retiring as Directors by rotation at the Company's AGM on 21 May 2014 and not seeking reappointment. In addition, Dr Trevor Nicholls, an experienced Company Director with a strong track record in the bioinformatics field, is being proposed at the Company's AGM to join the Board as a Non-Executive Director.

Professor John Oxford has served on Retroscreen's Board for 25 years, having previously acted as President, Scientific Director and founder of the Company.  Professor Oxford was a pioneer in the field of viral challenge models having led the Common Cold Unit in the UK to test a genetically modified influenza B virus. In 2002, he leveraged this experience in clinical challenge trials to set up a viral challenge unit at Queen Mary and Westfield College, which later became Retroscreen Limited prior to its AIM listing in 2012.

Duncan Peyton became a Non-Executive Director of the Company on 3 April 2012, having previously represented the Northern Entrepreneurs Fund on the Board from its investment in October 2009 until Retroscreen's IPO in May 2012 when they exited.  Duncan has played a crucial role in transforming Retroscreen from an academic spin-out to a commercial enterprise and guiding the Company through its stock market listing.

The Company has proposed that Dr Trevor Nicholls joins the Board as a Non-Executive Director. Trevor is a company director having over 30 years' experience of building international businesses in the life science industry, with a strong focus on genomics and proteomics. In particular, he was previously Chairman of Oxford Nanopore Technologies Limited, is currently Chairman of Avacta Group plc and was the Chairman of Activiomics Limited prior to its recent acquisition by Retroscreen.  Trevor is also Chief Executive Officer of CABI, a not-for-profit inter-governmental organisation owned by 46 member countries worldwide.  Prior to his current role with CABI, he was Chief Commercial Officer for Affymetrix Inc with accountability for global operations, delivering $330 million revenue with 600 staff across 8 locations worldwide.  His technology knowledge and leadership will be invaluable as Retroscreen expands its bioanalytical activities.

Kym Denny, Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Retroscreen is actively broadening its capabilities to fully exploit its unique hVIVO technology platform.  The proposed Board changes will enable us to deliver this broader vision.  I would like to thank both Professor John Oxford and Duncan Peyton for their vital contributions in helping Retroscreen become a high growth, publically listed company.  I would also like to welcome Dr Trevor Nicholls, who brings valuable bioanalytical and bioinformatics experience to our Board as we continue to pioneer our hVIVO platform in new and novel ways."

Dr Trevor Nicholls, aged 57, is a director/ partner or has been a director/ partner of the following companies/ partnerships during the previous five years:

Current

Activiomics Limited

Avacta Group plc

C.A.B. International Limited

Conidia Bioscience Limited

Chaise Cottages Management Company Limited

Previous

Oxford Nanopore Technologies Limited

Oxloc Limited

Sea Gardens (Hope Cove) Limited

Trevor Nicholls holds options over 26,540 ordinary shares of 5p each in Retroscreen.  He was awarded options by Activiomics Limited prior to his appointment to the Board of Retroscreen.  These options were rolled over into Retroscreen options on similar terms following Retroscreen's acquisition of Activiomics Limited on 3 March 2014.

The options have an exercise price of 101.63 pence each and are fully vested.

Dr Nicholls does not hold any ordinary shares in the Company.

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

For further information please contact:

Retroscreen Virology Group plc                                                         [phone]

Kym Denny (CEO)

Graham Yeatman (FD)

Numis Securities Limited                                                                   [phone]

Michael Meade / Freddie Barnfield (Nominated Adviser)

James Black / Michael Burke (Corporate Broking)

Notes to Editors:

Retroscreen Virology Group plc ("Retroscreen") is a rapidly growing UK life sciences company pioneering a technology platform called hVIVO which uses human models of disease involving healthy volunteers to study new drugs and investigate disease in a safe, controlled environment.

Retroscreen has established itself as the world leader in this field through the provision of clinical services to third party study sponsors.  To date, the Company has conducted over 35 clinical studies, involving more than 1600 volunteers for a range of leading industry, governmental and academic clients.

However, Retroscreen's hVIVO platform has a much wider application in helping to understand illness because the Company believes that the best way to understand human disease is by studying it in humans, not laboratory models.

 

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