THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE
INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 7 OF EU REGULATION 596/2014
AS IT FORMS PART OF DOMESTIC LAW IN THE UNITED KINGDOM BY VIRTUE OF
THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018. UPON THE PUBLICATION OF
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIA A REGULATORY INFORMATION SERVICE, THIS INSIDE
INFORMATION WILL BE CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC
DOMAIN.
2nd May
2024
Graft Polymer (UK)
Plc
(the
"Company")
Directorate
Change
Replacement of Chief
Executive Officer
Graft Polymer (UK) Plc (LSE: GPL) which is
focused on the development of modified polymer solutions, including
additives, alloys, synthesis, and drug delivery systems, announces
the appointment of Anthony Tennyson as Executive Director and Chief
Executive Officer with immediate effect. Victor Bolduev has stepped
down as CEO but will remain on the Board of the Company as Chief
Technology Officer.
Mr. Tennyson will lead a comprehensive review
of the Company's operations, with a particular focus on maximising
value from the existing assets, including its novel and patented
Graft Bio drug delivery solution. He will lead the Board in
identifying opportunities for commercial growth and strategic
partnerships.
With a career spanning the life sciences and
financial services sectors, Mr. Tennyson brings a wealth of
relevant experience to the Company. His position with the Company
will be held jointly with his existing employer Awakn Life Sciences
Corp ("Awakn"), which he co-founded in 2020 and serves as its
CEO.
Awakn is a clinical-stage biotechnology company
developing medication-assisted treatments for addiction, with a
near-term focus on Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Under Mr Tennyson's
leadership, Awakn successfully navigated public listings on Cboe
Canada and the OTCQB in the US, raising CA$20 million. He also
cultivated strategic partnerships with government agencies and
leading pharmaceutical companies resulting in licensing agreements
for promising phase 2 and phase 1 programmes targeting
AUD.
Prior to his role at Awakn, Mr. Tennyson held
senior roles at Aon Plc where he contributed to the growth and
development of Aon's risk consulting business. He also gained
valuable experience of the capital markets at Merrill Lynch and
Bank of Ireland. Mr. Tennyson holds an MBA and an MSc from
University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland.
Anthony
Tennyson commented:
"I am
delighted to join Graft Polymer at this pivotal moment in its
journey and look forward to working closely with the Board to
unlock the full potential of Graft Polymer."
Nicholas
Nelson, Chairman, commented:
"We thank
Victor for his role as CEO through an extremely difficult time for
the Company. Remaining on the Board, he will work alongside Anthony
during and following his review of the operations. Anthony comes
on-board as we develop our future as a medical products and
services company with the existing Graft Bio medical devices
business remaining at the Company's heart."
Enquiries:
Graft Polymer (UK) Plc
Nicholas Nelson, Non-Executive
Chairman
nelson@nexfin.org.uk
Yifat Steuer, CFO and Executive
Director
Allenby Capital (Joint broker)
Nick Naylor / Liz Kirchner
(Corporate Finance)
Guy McDougall
(Sales)
+44 (0) 20 3328
5656
