Avon Protection Regulatory News (AVON)

Strictly embargoed until 07:00 on Wednesday 10 May 2017

AVON RUBBER p.l.c. ("Avon", the "Group" or the "Company")

Group Finance Director appointment

The Board is pleased to announce that Nick Keveth has been appointed as Group Finance Director with effect from 1 June 2017. 

Nick will take over from Paul Rayner, who has been the Interim Group Finance Director since 1 December 2016.

Prior to this appointment Nick Keveth was Director of Finance, Planning & Reporting at Imperial Brands, the FTSE 20 tobacco group. Nick was with Imperial for 12 years and held a variety of roles during this period including Finance Director Sales & Marketing, Director of Accounting, Forecasting & Tax and Interim Investor Relations Director. He brings to Avon substantial listed company and acquisition experience.

Prior to joining Imperial Brands, Nick worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers for 14 years in both audit and advisory roles.

Nick is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and holds a degree in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge.

Paul Rayner will step down from the Board on 1 June 2017 and will remain at Avon for a two-month handover period. The Board thanks Paul for his commitment and invaluable contribution during this interim period and wishes him well for the future.

Commenting on the appointment, Paul McDonald, Group Chief Executive, said "I am delighted to welcome Nick to Avon. He brings significant skills and experience to the Group which will help us build a better, stronger business in line with our long term growth strategy."

Nick Keveth has a shareholding of 250 Avon shares. Nick also served on behalf of Imperial as a Non-Executive Director of the Spanish listed group Compania de Distribucion Integral Logista Holdings, S.A., a leading distributor of products and services to convenience retailers in Southern Europe, from May 2014 until 31 March 2017.  No further information is required to be disclosed pursuant to Listing Rule 9.6.13 in respect of Nick Keveth's appointment as a director of Avon.

As previously announced, interim results for the six months ended 31 March 2017 will be announced on 16 May 2017.

For further enquiries, please contact:

Note to editors: The Group has transformed itself over recent years into an innovative design and engineering group, specialising in two core markets, Protection & Defence and Dairy. With a strong emphasis on research and development, we design, test and manufacture specialist products from a number of sites in the US and Europe, serving markets around the world. We achieve this through nurturing the talent and aspirations of our employees to realise their highest potential.

Avon Protection Systems is the recognised global market leader in advanced Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) respiratory protection systems for the world's military, homeland security, first responder, fire and industrial markets. With an unrivalled pedigree in mask design dating back to the 1920's, Avon Protection Systems' advanced products are the first choice for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) users worldwide and are placed at the heart of many international defence and tactical PPE deployment strategies. Our expanding global customer base now includes military forces, civil and first line defence troops, emergency service teams and industrial, marine, mineral and oil extraction site personnel. All put their trust in Avon's advanced respiratory solutions to shield them from every possible threat whether land, air or sea based.

Our world-leading Dairy supplies business and its Milkrite | InterPuls brand has a global market presence. With a long history of manufacturing liners and tubing for the dairy industry, we have become the leading innovator and designer for products and services right at the heart of milking. The acquisition of InterPuls in 2015, a specialist in electro-mechanical milking components, such as pulsators, milk meters, automatic cluster removers and milking clusters, has added significantly to our product range, making us the complete milking point solutions provider improving every farm we touch.

Working with leading scientists and health specialists in the global dairy industry, we continue to invest in technology to further improve the milking process and animal welfare. Our products provide exceptional results for both the animal and the milker, making the milk extraction process more efficient. As our market share and milking experience continue to improve, so does our global presence.

For further information please visit the Group's website: www.avon-rubber.com