Epistem Appoints David Budd as Chief Executive Officer

MANCHESTER, England, January 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Epistem Holdings Plc (LSE: EHP), the personalised medicine and biotechnology company, is pleased to announce the appointment of David Budd as Chief Executive Officer and as a Director of Epistem. David will join Epistem by the middle of April 2016.

David has over 20 years of international commercial and operational experience in the diagnostics and medical devices field, launching multiple diagnostics products into international markets. He joins from Leica Biosystems (a Danaher company), a fast growing organisation where he served as General Manager of Leica Biosystems Amsterdam. David previously served as Commercial Director at Leica Biosystems Newcastle, with global responsibility for marketing, market research and product launches for diagnostic tests.

Prior to joining Leica Biosystems, David's previous roles included Point-of-Care, molecular, and central laboratory marketing and commercialization responsibilites as a Director of Marketing at Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Business Unit Leader at Bayer Diagnostics UK, and Sales Manager at Visible Genetics Inc.

Ian Gilham will continue to act as interim Chief Executive Officer until David joins Epistem.

Ian Gilham, Chairman of Epistem, commented on the appointment: "I am delighted to welcome David Budd as the new CEO of Epistem. His significant commercial and operational experience will be invaluable to the Company as we continue to progress with the commercialisation of Genedrive®, our next-generation Point-of-Care molecular diagnostic system."

David Budd, incoming Chief Executive Officer of Epistem, said: "I relish the opportunity to lead Epistem at this exciting point of transition as the Company begins to scale up the commercialisation of Genedrive®. I believe Genedrive® is an outstanding molecular diagnostic system with significant near term commercial opportunities in tuberculosis testing and across a wide range of other applications in the future. I look forward to working together with the team to realise the potential of Genedrive® in Point-of-Care diagnostics."

David holds a Master's Degree in Molecular Biology from Queens University in Canada (1992).

The following information is disclosed pursuant to Schedule Two, paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies:

Full name and age:David Budd (aged 48)

David Budd does not currently hold any shares in Epistem.

Current Directorships or Partnerships

Leica Biosystems Newcastle Ltd

Kreatech Biotechnology BV

No further information in connection with his appointment is required to be disclosed under Schedule Two, paragraph (g) of the Aim Rules for Companies.

Notes to Editors 

Epistem is a personalised medicine and biotechnology company developing innovative diagnostics and biomarkers alongside providing contract research services to drug development companies. Epistem's Genedrive® is a next-generation Point of Care molecular diagnostic system providing a low cost, rapid, versatile, simple to use and robust diagnostics platform for the diagnosis of infectious diseases and for use in patient stratification (genotyping), pathogen detection and other indications. Genedrive® aims to provide a 'gold standard' identification of Tuberculosis & antibiotic resistance. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has publicly recommended that nations incorporate new rapid and molecular tests for Tuberculosis into their disease testing programs. The Genedrive® platform and its first Tuberculosis test is now being prepared for launch in India and the Indian sub-continent. Further details can be found at: http://www.epistem.co.uk and http://www.genedrive.com

For further details please contact:
Epistem Holdings Plc
Dr Ian Gilham: Chairman
John Rylands: Finance Director
+44-(0)161-606-7258
 
Peel Hunt LLP
James Steel
Tom Burt
Oliver Jackson
+44-(0)207-418-8900
 
Consilium Strategic Communications
Chris Gardner
Laura Thornton 
epistem@consilium-comms.com 
+44-(0)203-709-5700