Appointment of Chief Financial Officer

14 January 2020

ABCAM PLC

("Abcam" or "the Group")

Appointment of Chief Financial Officer

Abcam plc ("Abcam" or "the Company", AIM: ABC), a global leader in the supply of life science research tools, is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Baldock as Chief Financial Officer with effect from 3 February 2020*.

Michael assumes the role of Chief Financial Officer from Gavin Wood, who notified the Company on 22 July 2019 of his intention to step down from the Board once a successor had been identified.

Michael has over 30 years of relevant functional and sector experience acquired through senior leadership roles at HSBC, Lazard, Bentley Health Care and SG Warburg.  He is a founding partner at Ondra Partners, an independent financial advisory firm which has advised Abcam for several years. The Board believe that his experience, deep sector expertise and knowledge of Abcam make him an ideal candidate to lead Abcam's financial and strategic growth plans.

Peter Allen, Chairman of Abcam, said: "Following an extensive and thorough process, the Board was unanimous in its view that Michael is the right candidate to join Abcam. We have known and trusted Michael for several years and I am pleased that we have been able to attract him to join us."

Alan Hirzel, Chief Executive Officer of Abcam, added: "Michael's experience will be valuable for us as we deliver our strategy. His energy and passion for our business will fit well with our teams. We are excited to welcome Michael to the business."

Michael Baldock commented: "I am excited to be joining Abcam on the next stage of its journey. Having worked closely with Alan and the team, I have been impressed by the Company and its potential. I am looking forward to working with Alan, the Executive Leadership Team and the Board in implementing the Company's strategic vision and delivering continued long term, profitable growth."

Michael will be appointed to the Board on 3 February 2020, and Gavin Wood will step down on this date.

*Michael Baldock's appointment will be subject to receiving the necessary approval from the UK Home Office allowing him to work in the UK.

AIM Rules disclosures

Full name: Michael Shaun Baldock

Age: 56

Director and / or partner roles held in the five years preceding his appointment at Abcam:

Michael does not currently have an interest in shares in Abcam. 

Save as disclosed above there are no additional disclosures to be made in accordance with Schedule Two paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules.

For further information, please contact:

Abcam

+ 44 (0) 1223 696 000

James Staveley, VP, Investor Relations

J.P.Morgan Cazenove - Nominated Advisor & Corporate Broker

+ 44 (0) 20 7742 4000

James Mitford / Hemant Kapoor

Numis - Joint Corporate Broker

+44 (0) 20 7260 1000

Garry Levin / Duncan Monteith

FTI Consulting

+ 44 (0) 20 3727 1000

Ben Atwell / Natalie Garland-Collins

Notes:

The Nomination Committee appointed a leading executive search and board advisory consulting firm to conduct the search for a new Chief Financial Officer.   An extensive Global search was conducted, and a shortlist of candidates was agreed before interviews were conducted. 

About Abcam plc

As a global life sciences company, Abcam identifies, develops, and distributes high-quality biological reagents and tools that are crucial to research, drug discovery and diagnostics. Working across the industry, the Company supports life scientists to achieve their mission, faster.

Abcam partners with life science organisations to co-create novel binders for use in drug discovery, in vitro diagnostics and therapeutics, driven by the Company's proprietary discovery platforms and world-leading, antibody expertise.

By constantly innovating its binders and assays, Abcam is helping advance the global understanding of biology and causes of disease, which enables new treatments and improved health. The Company's pioneering data-sharing approach gives scientists increased confidence in their results by providing validation, user comments and peer-reviewed citations for its 110,000 products.

With eleven sites globally, many of Abcam's 1,100 strong team are located in the world's leading life science research hubs, complementing a global network of services and support. Abcam was admitted to AIM in 2005 (AIM: ABC).

To find out more, please visit www.abcam.com and www.abcamplc.com