STP.L Regulatory News (STP)

23 May 2007 11:43

Spiritel PLC23 May 2007 For release: 23 May 2007 SPIRITEL plc ("Spiritel" or "the Company") DIRECTORATE CHANGE GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR APPOINTED TO THE BOARD Spiritel plc (AIM: STP), the telecommunications services business, todayannounces that Ronald Watson Smith (42), currently Group Finance Director hasjoined the board of the Company, with immediate effect. Ronnie took up the position of Group Finance Director in July 2006 and since hisarrival at Spiritel he has been instrumental in the Company's active acquisitionstrategy. Ronnie has a background in senior finance roles in a number of UK businesses.From 1997 until 2005 he executed a buy and build strategy across the UK andEurope for The Rope Company Group Limited. Here, he was originally appointed asa Finance Manager, but was promoted to Group Finance Director in 1998. Ronnie qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1988 and completed professionaltraining with Arthur Young (now Ernst & Young). His prior experience alsoincludes work for Sigma Bioscience, ICN Biomedicals Inc., and the Ritchie Groupplc. Commenting on the appointment, Alastair Mills, Chief Executive of Spiritel said:"Ronnie has been a tremendous help since joining the Company. He has played anintegral role in the turnaround process we have set in motion and in particularin developing and implementing our acquisition strategy. The Directors and Iwelcome Ronnie to the Board and look forward to continuing together our drive torestore value to shareholders as we grow the business." For further information please visit www.spiritelplc.com or contact: Spiritel plc Tavistock Communications Alastair Mills Simon HudsonChief Executive Clemmie CarrTel: +44 20 7160 0100 Tel: +44 20 7920 3150 Additional Disclosures In the previous five years Ronnie Smith has been a director of the followingcompanies, in relation to all of which he is no longer a director: The Rope Company Group Limited*The Rope Company Limited*Marloe Ropes Limited*Ibex Ropes LtdCollege AccessoriesWhitely Products LimitedEdelrid LimitedEdelmann & Riddder GmbH & co KGEdelrid verwaltungsgesellschaft GmbHEdelrid France SARL * These companies were placed in Administration in November 2005. Save for the information disclosed above, there is no other information inrelation to Ronnie Smith required to be disclosed pursuant to AIM Rule 17. -ends- Note to Editors Spiritel is a telecommunications group that offers a mix of traditional and nextgeneration telecommunications' services and products to business customers. TheGroup listed on AIM in July 2004 (AIM: STP). Spiritel's customers who range fromlarge blue chip corporates to SMEs are served through the Group's two divisions- Spiritel Wholesale and Spiritel Retail. Spiritel Retail was established in 2006 and comprises a number ofdirect-to-customer initiatives designed to guide users through the ongoingmigration to Internet Protocol (IP) based telecoms services. Through the recentacquisitions of CallPlan Ltd, Networks Direct UK Ltd and The Ashland Group thedivision has gained relationships with almost 1,000 SME customers and blue chipsincluding Marriott and Whitbread. Spiritel Wholesale provides a range of voice and data products to UK andinternational operators. The services include UK and international calltermination and the latest generation of IP-based communications technologiesfor carrier and business customers. Spiritel is a consolidator in the highly fragmented UK telecoms reseller market.The Group proposes to deliver shareholder value through acquisitions, whichbring complementary products and skill sets to the Group's offering andorganically via the cross selling of Group products by fellow subsidiaries andjoint ventures. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange