Board appointment & Completion of Board evolution
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hVIVO plc
(“hVIVO”, the “Company" or the “Group”)
Appointment of Will Downie as Non-Executive Director and Completion of Board Evolution
International pharma services leader further strengthens the Board to support growth strategy
London, UK – 2 November 2026, hVIVO plc (AIM: HVO), a purpose-built, full-service international drug development partner and the world leader in human challenge trials, today announces the appointment of Will Downie as an Independent Non-Executive Director (NED), with immediate effect.
Will brings more than 30 years’ experience across pharmaceutical and healthcare services, with a strong track record of scaling and transforming international businesses. He is currently serving as Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Touchlight, a contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) pioneering enzymatic GMP DNA production for genetic medicines. He is also an Operating Partner at Advent International, a global private equity firm. Previously, Will served as CEO of Argenta Global, scaling the business to become the world leading integrated animal health contract research organisation (CRO) and CDMO.
From 2019 to 2022, Will was CEO of FTSE 250-listed Vectura Limited, where he led the transformation of the business from an inhalation drug development and device company into a profitable CDMO model and oversaw its successful acquisition in 2021 for more than £1.1 billion. Prior to this, he was Chief Commercial Officer of Catalent from 2009 to 2019, a global CDMO, where he drove significant long-term growth and profitability. Earlier in his career, Will held senior commercial and leadership roles at GE Healthcare, Sanofi and Merck.
Will’s appointment completes the process of evolving the Board started in September 2025 to underpin hVIVO’s transition from a specialist human challenge trial provider into a fully integrated, international drug development partner. During this period, hVIVO has strengthened its Board with the appointments of Shaun Chilton as Non-Executive Chair, Richard Cotton and Caroline Shaw, CBE, as Non-Executive Directors and Angela Hildreth as incoming Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Richard Cotton, who is currently serving as Interim CFO, will continue in that role until Angela joins the Board on 18 November 2026. He will then return to his non-executive duties and assume the role of Senior Independent Director. The culmination of these appointments is a Board which offers a complementary mix of international pharma services, commercial, financial and healthcare leadership experience.
Shaun Chilton, Non-Executive Chair of hVIVO plc, said: “I am delighted to welcome Will to the Board. Over the past year, we have strengthened the Board to align its collective experience and expertise with hVIVO’s evolved business model and strategic growth ambitions. Will brings an outstanding track record of leading and scaling pharma services businesses through growth and strategic transformation as well as significant transaction experience. His expertise complements the strong commercial, financial and healthcare leadership capabilities we have added, ensuring the Board is well equipped to support management in executing our strategy and delivering sustainable long-term growth.”
Will Downie, incoming Non-Executive Director of hVIVO plc, said: “Throughout my career in global pharma services, I have seen the value that specialist expertise, scientific quality and close client partnerships can bring to drug development. hVIVO has built a distinctive position in the market, combining deep scientific expertise with an increasingly broad set of capabilities that can help biopharma clients generate earlier, decision-ready evidence and progress promising medicines with greater confidence. I look forward to bringing my experience to the Board as hVIVO builds on these strengths, deepens its relationships with biopharma clients and extends the role it can play in supporting their development programmes.”
Additional Information on the Board Appointment
The following additional information is provided with regards to the appointment of William Charles Downie, aged 59, in accordance with Rule 17 and Schedule 2(g) of the AIM Rules for Companies:
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Current directorships/partnerships |
Former directorships/partnerships (within the last five years) |
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Downie Pharma Advisory Limited |
Argenta Dundee Limited |
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Touchlight Holdings Limited |
Argenta Holdco Limited |
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Innovata Biomed Limited |
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Innovata Limited |
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Vectura Delivery Devices Limited |
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Vectura Group Investments Limited |
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Vectura Group Limited |
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Vectura Group Services Limited |
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Vectura Limited |
Will Downie does not hold any shares or options in the Company. There are no further disclosures required under Rule 17 and Schedule 2(g) of the AIM Rules for Companies.
For further information please contact:
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hVIVO plc |
+44 (0)20 7756 1300 | ||
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Yamin ‘Mo’ Khan, Chief Executive Officer Susan Stuart, Head of IR and Corporate Communications |
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Cavendish Capital Markets Limited (Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker) |
+44 (0)20 7220 0500 | ||
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Geoff Nash, Callum Davidson, Nigel Birks |
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Peel Hunt LLP (Joint Broker) |
+44 (0)20 7418 8900 | ||
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James Steel, Dr Christopher Golden |
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Davy (Joint Broker) |
+353 (0) 1 679 6363 | ||
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Anthony Farrell, Niall Gilchrist |
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ICR Healthcare (Financial PR & IR) Mary-Jane Elliott / Stephanie Cuthbert / Phillip Marriage / Louis Ashe-Jepson
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hVIVO@icrhealthcare.com | ||
Notes to Editors
About hVIVO
hVIVO plc (AIM: HVO) is a purpose-built, full-service international drug development partner and the global leader in human challenge trials, serving seven of the world's ten largest biopharma companies.
The Company has an end-to-end platform designed to bring important medicines to patients faster: spanning preclinical strategy, first‑in‑human studies, Phase II patient trials and specialist laboratory services, delivered through a large participant database, wholly owned sites and laboratories across the UK and Germany.
With a combined Group heritage of more than 100 years, hVIVO delivers an accelerated pathway to clinical proof-of-concept through four integrated service lines: Consulting, Clinical Trials, Human Challenge Trials, and Laboratories.
- Consulting provides expert-led preclinical and clinical strategy, encompassing non-clinical, clinical, CMC, pharmacokinetics, data management, biostatistics, and regulatory support to guide trial design, execution, and interpretation.
- Clinical Trials offers Phase I/II CRO services, Phase II/III site services across the UK and Germany, and specialist recruitment through FluCamp, Europe's largest recruitment database.
- Human Challenge Trials leverages hVIVO’s state-of-the-art quarantine facility in London – the largest of its kind worldwide – to deliver fast, controlled, high-quality efficacy data through guaranteed viral exposure.
- Laboratories provides cutting-edge virology and immunology laboratory services, including biobanking and sample storage, supporting both challenge trials and standalone client studies.
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