Changes to Board of Directors

Valereum PLC

06 February 2026

 

Date: 6 February 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Aquis Stock Exchange: VLRM)

Valereum Plc

("Valereum", "VLRM" or the "Company")

Changes to Board of Directors

Valereum Plc (AQSE: VLRM), a company aiming to be the global market leader in the rapidly developing tokenised digital markets sector, is pleased to announce the appointment of Pieter Scholtz and Gerhardus "Gerhard" Kotzee of Quorium Global Photonics SPC ("QGP") as Executive Directors with immediate effect.

Pieter Scholtz is an entrepreneurial executive and a founding Director of QGP, the 49.9% strategic shareholder in Valereum PLC. He was instrumental in the foundational creation of QGP, building the company from inception by assembling and leading the specialist team responsible for its operational and technological development. His strategic foresight is rooted in recognizing the critical convergence of traditional financial principles with blockchain innovation. His approach focuses on leveraging the robust framework of established finance as a backbone to build and integrate the next generation of transparent, efficient systems.

Mr. Scholtz's appointment to the Valereum Board is based on a proven track record of corporate creation, strategic vision, and an ability to execute in complex, evolving landscapes. He brings a distinct perspective shaped by hands-on leadership, a self-acquired mastery of cross-disciplinary technologies, and a focus on pragmatic value creation. His expertise is pivotal for guiding Valereum's strategy in bridging legacy financial infrastructure with the transformative potential of blockchain and digital assets.

Gerhard Kotzee is also a Director of QGP. He brings over 30 years' experience across the nuclear, oil & gas, energy and mining sectors, having held senior operational and project leadership roles with Apave International and its joint ventures across Africa and international markets. He has led and advised on major energy and nuclear infrastructure projects and has over a decade of experience in investment, asset management and capital raising for emerging-market projects, including commodities and real-world assets.

	Current Directorships	Previous Directorships (held in the last five years)
Pieter Scholtz	Quorium Global Photonics SPC	Nevcare Africa (Pty) Ltd
		Equeprint (Pty) Ltd
		Summergrove Equine College (Pty) Ltd
		Quinergy Enviromental Concepts (Pty) Ltd
		Sollus Eco Solutions (Pty) Ltd
		Luuks Online (Pty) Ltd
		Two Oceans Scuba Academy (Pty) Ltd
		Amze Online (Pty) Ltd
Gerhard Kotzee	Quorium Global Photonics SPC	SA Rural Logistics (Pty) Ltd
		Tiquali Eco Projects (Pty) Ltd

Appointment of Non-Executive Director

Matthew Farnum-Schneider will be appointed as Non-Executive Director to the Board with immediate effect, following satisfactory completion of due diligence. Matthew is a strategic advisor with a distinguished career at the highest levels of global banking, asset management, economic policy and fintech. He has held managing director roles at Credit Suisse and Prudential Plc, advised The White House (two US presidential terms), and led major regulatory, policy and capital markets engagements across the US and Europe. Matthew has overseen multi-billion-dollar transactions, serving as COO of a $15bn emerging markets infrastructure investor, and CEO of an LSE-listed AI and data-solutions fintech. His deep institutional credibility is combined with first-hand experience at the intersection of finance, government and financial technologies.

Change in Status of Director

The Company announces that Grant Gischen, previously a Non-Executive Director, will be appointed as an Executive Director immediately following the appointment of Matthew Farnum-Schneider as Non-Executive Director.

These Board changes have been made in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. There is no further information in respect of Pieter Scholtz and Gerhard Kotzee which would be expected to be disclosed in line with Rule 4.9 of the Aquis Growth Market Apex Rulebook. The Company will provide an update to the market on the appointment of Matthew Farnum-Schneider on completion of due diligence.

James Bannon, Chair of Valereum Plc, comments:

"We are pleased to welcome all of our new appointees to the Board. Their experience across global capital markets, regulation and financial technology materially strengthens Valereum's leadership as we enter our next phase of growth.

These appointments are directly aligned with the Company's strategic objective of securing a US listing. We are now actively pursuing entry into the US capital markets and have structured the Board, governance and advisory framework accordingly.

We believe a US listing will significantly enhance Valereum's institutional profile, access to capital and long-term shareholder value as we scale our position in the tokenised digital markets sector."

For further information, please contact:

Valereum Plc Karl Moss	Tel: [phone]  Investor Hub
Fortified Securities Guy Wheatley	Tel: [phone]
Aquis Corporate Adviser    Guild Financial Advisory Limited Ross Andrews	E: [e-mail]

The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

Please visit the Company's website at www.vlrm.com

For more information, and the chance to have your questions directly answered by the management team, please head to our interactive investor hub via: Investor Hub.

IMPORTANT NOTICES

The Company holds cryptocurrencies or crypto assets in its treasury. Whilst the Board of Directors of the Company considers holding cryptocurrencies to be in the best interests of the Company, the Board remains aware that the financial regulator in the UK (the Financial Conduct Authority or FCA) considers investment in cryptocurrencies to be high risk. At the outset, it is important to note that an investment in the Company is not an investment in cryptocurrencies, either directly or by proxy and shareholders will have no direct access to the Company's holdings. However, the Board of Directors consider cryptocurrencies to be an appropriate store of value and potential growth and therefore appropriate for the Company. Accordingly, the Company is and intends to continue to be materially exposed to cryptocurrencies.

 The Company is neither authorised nor regulated by the FCA, and the purchase of certain cryptocurrencies are generally unregulated in the UK. As with most other investments, the value of cryptocurrencies can go down as well as up, and therefore the value of the Company's cryptocurrencies holdings can fluctuate. The Company may not be able to realise its cryptocurrencies holdings for the same as it paid to acquire them or even for the value the Company currently ascribes to its cryptocurrencies positions due to market movements. Neither the Company nor investors in the Company's shares are protected by the UK's Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

 Cryptocurrencies may present special risks to the Company's financial position. These risks include (but are not limited to): (i) the value of cryptocurrencies can be highly volatile, with value dropping as quickly as it can rise. Investors in cryptocurrencies must be prepared to lose all money invested in cryptocurrencies; (ii) the cryptocurrencies market is largely unregulated. There is a risk of losing money due to risks such as cyber-attacks, financial crime and counterparty failure; (iii) the Company may not be able to sell its cryptocurrencies at will. The ability to sell cryptocurrencies depends on various factors, including the supply and demand in the market at the relevant time. Operational failings such as technology outages, cyber-attacks and commingling of funds could cause unwanted delay; and (iv) crypto assets are characterised in some quarters by high degrees of fraud, money laundering and financial crime. Prospective investors in the Company are encouraged to do their own research before investing.

 

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