29 Jan 2019 07:00
Horizon Discovery Group plc
Appointment of Chief Financial Officer
Cambridge, UK, 29 January 2019: Horizon Discovery Group plc (LSE: HZD) ("Horizon" or "the Group" or "Company"), a global leader in the application of gene editing and gene modulation technologies, today announces the appointment of Jayesh Pankhania as Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") and member of the Board of Horizon effective immediately. Jayesh will succeed Richard Vellacott who is stepping down from the role and the Board today following almost seven valuable years of service at Horizon. Richard will continue with the Company in an advisory capacity for a period to time to facilitate a smooth transition.
Jayesh joined Horizon Discovery's Finance department in April 2018 in an interim CFO capacity. Prior to joining Horizon, Jayesh was Group CFO of Xtera Ltd where he was responsible for developing business plans and strategies for growth. Previous leadership roles include Deputy CFO of Asia Resource Minerals Plc, CFO of Planned Maintenance at Carillion Plc. and CFO of Rail and Metro at Serco Plc. Cumulatively, Jayesh has more than 25 years' of blue chip international finance experience, including working within Main Market listed companies. He has deep expertise in providing financial leadership to growing businesses, building high-performing finance teams with the highest levels of corporate and financial governance, and working in partnership with management teams and Boards to develop and deliver robust business strategies. Jayesh is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds an MBA from London Business School.
Richard Vellacott joined Horizon in July 2012. During his tenure Richard has worked as CFO, COO, deputy CEO and interim CEO. Richard led the business, as CFO, through the successful public listing on the AIM market, fundraisings including the $80 million financing in 2017 and four international acquisitions.
Terry Pizzie, Chief Executive Officer of Horizon Discovery, commented: "I'm very pleased to welcome Jayesh as CFO of the Group at this exciting time. In his role as interim CFO, Jayesh's leadership of the finance function and his support to the management team were very quickly apparent and invaluable as we reviewed our business priorities and implemented a five-year investment plan. His proven financial experience, including with listed companies, will be an asset to the Group as we move to the next level and continue to progress our vision and growth plans for the business.
"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Richard, on behalf of Horizon's Board, management team and staff, for his contribution to the growth of the Group since 2012."
Jayesh Pankhania, Chief Financial Officer of Horizon Discovery, said: "From the time I arrived at Horizon I was deeply impressed by the quality of people and the Group's market leading capabilities in gene editing and gene modulation. I look forward to working closely with Terry, the management team and the Board as we continue to invest in our key strategic priorities whilst maintaining operational efficiency, in order to successfully execute on the Group's next stage of growth."
The following information regarding the appointment of Jayesh Pankhania, aged 48, is disclosed in accordance with Rule 17 and paragraph (g) of Schedule 2 of the AIM rules.
Current directorships/ partnerships:
Nisaba Limited
Ealing Mencap
Previous directorships/ partnerships held in the past five years:
Vallar Investments UK Limited
Asia Coal Resources Limited
ENDS
For further information from Horizon Discovery Group plc, please contact:
Horizon Discovery Group plc
Terry Pizzie, Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 655 580
Numis Securities Limited (Broker and NOMAD)
Michael Meade / Freddie Barnfield / Duncan Monteith
Tel: +44 (0) 207 260 1000
Consilium Strategic Communications (Financial Media and Investor Relations)
Mary-Jane Elliott / Matthew Neal / Melissa Gardiner
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5701
Email: horizon@consilium-comms.com
About Horizon Discovery Group plc www.horizondiscovery.com
Horizon Discovery Group plc (LSE: HZD) ("Horizon") is a world leader in gene editing and gene modulation technologies. Horizon designs and engineers cells using its translational genomics platform, a highly precise and flexible suite of DNA editing tools (rAAV, ZFN, CRISPR, Transposon and base editing) and, following the acquisition of Dharmacon, Inc., its functional genomics platform comprising gene knockdown (RNAi) and gene expression (cDNA, ORF) tools, for research and clinical applications that advance human health. Horizon's platforms and capabilities enable researchers to alter almost any gene or modulate its function in human or mammalian cell-lines.
Horizon offers an extensive range of catalogue products and related research services to support a greater understanding of the function of genes across all species and the genetic drivers of human disease and the development of personalised molecular, cell and gene therapies. These have been adopted by over 10,000 academic, drug discovery, drug manufacturing and clinical diagnostics customers around the globe, as well as in the Company's own R&D pipeline.
Horizon is headquartered in Cambridge, UK, and is listed on the London Stock Exchange's AIM market under the ticker HZD