29 Sep 2008 07:00
Embargoed Release: 07:00 hrs Monday 29th September 2008
Nanoscience Inc. (`Nanoscience', `Toumaz Holdings' or the `Group') Appointment of Executive Chairman
Nanoscience, henceforth to be known as Toumaz Holdings, is delighted to announce that Sir Richard Sykes has joined the Board and will assume the role of executive chairman in November 2008. The Group believes the appointment of this highly regarded and experienced figure into the role of executive chairman will help to accelerate the extraction of substantial value from its main investee company: its wholly owned subsidiary Toumaz Technology Limited ('Toumaz'). In addition, and as previously announced, the Group's new company name, Toumaz Holdings, reflects the primary focus of the Group's activities.
Sir Richard brings over 30 years of extensive senior executive expertise to the Group, particularly from the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, where he was most notably chairman and chief executive of Glaxo plc from 1993, which two years later became Glaxo Wellcome plc and then GlaxoSmithKline plc until 2002. Sir Richard was most recently Rector of Imperial College, London (from 2001 to July 2008) and he is a Fellow of Imperial College School of Medicine, a Fellow of King's College London and a Fleming Fellow at Lincoln College Oxford. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society and Academy of Medical Sciences.
Sir Richard is currently chairman of the UK Stem Cell Foundation and chairs CATALYST, London's Council for the Advancement of Science and Industry. He is a board member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England and chair of the WHO International Advisory Board that oversees the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform.
Internationally, he is chairman of the Singapore Biomedical Sciences International Advisory Council, director of Bio*One Capital, the investment arm of the Singapore Economic Development Board, and a member of the International Advisory Panel of Temasek, which owns and manages the Singapore Government's direct investments. Sir Richard is also deputy chairman of Lonza Group Ltd, chairman of the Healthcare Advisory Group of APAX, chairman of MerLion Pharmaceuticals Pte Ltd and a non-executive director of Abraxis BioScience Inc.
In conjunction with this appointment, Richard Rose, who is currently non-executive chairman of the Group, will remain on the Board as the senior non-executive director. Graham Porter, non-executive director, is stepping down with immediate effect and the Board thanks him for his valuable contribution. The board of Toumaz remains unchanged with Professor Christofer Toumazou as chairman and chief technology officer of the company.
Richard Rose, non-executive chairman of Toumaz Holdings, commented:
"Sir Richard is excited about the prospects for our technology and we are absolutely delighted to have secured his services. His experience in our sector is second to none and in his role as executive chairman, I'm sure he will lead the Group to the commercial success its technology deserves."
Guy Spelman, chief executive officer of Toumaz Holdings, commented:
"I am delighted that Sir Richard is joining the Group as our executive chairman. His invaluable experience in guiding multinational growth companies will be indispensible to Toumaz Holdings as it focuses on the opportunities that its investments - particularly Toumaz Technology have created. I am also pleased that Richard Rose will remain on the Board as a senior non-executive director. The Group has thrived under his direction and we look forward to his continued contributions. Toumaz Holdings is undergoing an exciting period of development and we are sure that with Sir Richard as chairman, the prospects for the Group and the potential to return substantial value to our shareholders will become even more apparent.'
Professor Chris Toumazou FRS, chairman and CTO of Toumaz, commented:
"I have known Sir Richard for over 10 years both in his capacity as Rector of Imperial College and Chairman of Glaxo. As Toumaz moves from a technology to a sales business Sir Richard is the ideal leader to take us forward."
-Ends-
Further information:
Guy Spelman Toumaz Holding Limited 07767 338 967
Charles Cunningham/
Rose Herbert FinnCap 020 7600 1658
Vikki Krause Hansard Group 020 7245 1100
www.hansardgroup.co.uk
AIM Rules Schedule 2 Disclosure - for the purposes of paragraph (g) of schedule 2 of the AIM rules, the following information is disclosed:
Full name: Sir Richard Brook Sykes
Age: 66
Sir Richard holds or has held the following directorships with the last 5years:Current Directorships Past Directorships over last 5 years Metabometrix Limited Rio Tinto Plc The UK Stem Cell Foundation Leadership for Environment and Development International, Inc. Omnicyte Limited Cephalon Holdings Limited Circassia Holdings Limited The Russell Group of Universities
Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation The Gregor Mendel Trust Limited plc
Hale House Management (1999) Limited Zeneus Pharma Livercyte Limited Singapore Sciences International Advisory
Council Bio*One Capital Lonza Group Ltd
MerLion Pharmaceuticals Pte Ltd
Abraxi BioScience Ltd ENRC Bioceramic Therapeutics
No further disclosures are required to be made in relation to Sir Richard Sykes under Schedule 2 (g) (iii) - (viii) of the AIM rules.
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