Destiny Pharma plc Board changes
Thursday May 26, 2022
Thursday May 26, 2022
Destiny Pharma plc
(“Destiny Pharma” or “the Company”)
Destiny Pharma appoints three Non-Executive Directors
Brighton, United Kingdom – 26 May 2022 – Destiny Pharma plc (AIM:DEST), a clinical stage innovative biotechnology company focused on the development of novel medicines that can prevent life-threatening infections, today announces the appointments of James Stearns, Aled Williams and Nigel Brooksby as Non-Executive Directors with effect from 1 June 2022. James Stearns is replacing Dr Huaizheng Peng. The Company has been looking to add Non-Executive Directors following the retirement of Peter Morgan in March this year and has decided to add Aled and Nigel as two new appointments. The Board has expanded its skills and experience base through these additions and is well positioned to continue to deliver its strategy.
James Stearns is the Chief Investment Officer (Europe and America) of China Medical System Holdings Limited (CMS), focusing on its M&A driven growth strategy and overseeing the Venture Programme. James brings considerable experience in the financial markets having previously worked for both the sellside (Director, Corporate Broking and Advisory at Panmure Gordon) and buyside (Investment Director at LivingBridge). James holds a Joint Honours degree from the University of Bristol in Economics and Accounting.
Aled Williams is Chief Executive Officer of Enthera Pharmaceuticals Srl and was recently Chief Business Officer of Polyneuron Pharmaceuticals Ag. Aled has over 25 years of leadership experience in the pharmaceutical industry, holding senior positions in large pharmaceutical companies (AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Novartis and Bristol-Myers Squibb) and multiple executive management roles in smaller biotech companies. Aled has spent much of his career with responsibility for the external interface from a company, portfolio and asset perspective across a range of different disease areas, including anti-infectives. A microbiologist by training, prior to joining the pharma & biotech industry Aled spent a number of years working in public health.
Nigel Brooksby has extensive experience in the life science sector and has been involved as Chair/ Director/ Strategic Adviser in several fund raisings, including advising Akari Therapeutics on its 2015 NASDAQ listing. Nigel has also undertaken many projects assisting biotech companies in their partnering arrangements with major pharmaceutical companies and has previously held senior global roles at Sanofi, Wellcome (now GSK) and Pfizer. Until his retirement in 2010, Nigel was a Member of the Sanofi Executive Committee in Europe and North America, and Chair and Managing Director of the Sanofi Group in the UK and Ireland. He has worked internationally based in Europe, the USA, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.
Nick Rodgers, Chair of the Board of Directors, Destiny Pharma, said: “We are delighted to announce these high calibre appointments to the Destiny Board. The skillset that these individuals bring to the table will be invaluable as we continue to drive forward our strategy and execute our Phase 3 clinical development plans moving towards our next phase of growth. This is an exciting time for Destiny, excellent progress was achieved in the last year developing the clinical pipeline and the Company is well positioned for the future.”
For further information, please contact:
Destiny Pharma plc
Neil Clark, CEO
Shaun Claydon, CFO
+44 (0)1273 704 440
pressoffice@destinypharma.com
Optimum Strategic Communications
Mary Clark / Manel Mateus / Vici Rabbetts
+44 (0) 208 078 4357
DestinyPharma@optimumcomms.com
finnCap Ltd (Nominated Advisor and Broker)
Geoff Nash / Kate Bannatyne / George Dollemore, Corporate Finance
Alice Lane / Nigel Birks / Harriet Ward, ECM
+44 (0) 207 220 0500
MC Services AG
Anne Hennecke / Andreas Burckhardt
+49-211-529252-12
About Destiny Pharma
Destiny Pharma is a clinical stage, innovative biotechnology company focused on the development of novel medicines that can prevent life-threatening infections. Its pipeline has novel microbiome-based biotherapeutics and XF drug clinical assets including NTCD-M3, a Phase 3 ready treatment for the prevention of C. difficile infection (CDI) recurrence which is the leading cause of hospital acquired infection in the US and also XF-73 nasal gel, which has recently completed a positive Phase 2b clinical trial targeting the prevention of post-surgical staphylococcal hospital infections including MRSA. It is also co-developing SporCov, a novel, biotherapeutic product for the prevention of COVID-19 and other viral respiratory infections and has earlier grant funded XF research projects.
For further information on the company, please visit www.destinypharma.com
Forward looking statements
Certain information contained in this announcement, including any information as to the Group’s strategy, plans or future financial or operating performance, constitutes “forward-looking statements”. These forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “believes”, “estimates”, “anticipates”, “projects”, “expects”, “intends”, “aims”, “plans”, “predicts”, “may”, “will”, “seeks” “could” “targets” “assumes” “positioned” or “should” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans, objectives, goals, future events or intentions. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this announcement and include statements regarding the intentions, beliefs or current expectations of the Directors concerning, among other things, the Group’s results of operations, financial condition, prospects, growth, strategies and the industries in which the Group operates. The directors of the company believe that the expectations reflected in these statements are reasonable but may be affected by a number of variables which could cause actual results or trends to differ materially. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future or are beyond the Group’s control. Forward looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Even if the Group’s actual results of operations, financial condition and the development of the industries in which the Group operates are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this document, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods.
The following information is disclosed pursuant to Schedule Two paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies.
Nigel Stanley Brooksby, aged 71, has been a director of the following companies during the five years preceding the date of this announcement:
| Current | Past |
| International Society of Hypertension | Novacta Biosystems Limited* |
| Steel Bars Limited | Chronos Therapeutics Limited |
| Steel Bars Search Limited | Prism Ideas Limited |
| Clinical Insights Limited | |
| Unicorn Pharma Services Limited | |
| Porton Biopharma Limited | |
| Neurocentrx Pharma Limited | |
| IOSBIO Ltd | |
| Pertinax Pharma Limited |
*Nigel Brooksby was a director at Novacta Biosystems Limited when the Company was dissolved by Members Voluntary Liquidation in April 2019.
Aled Paton Williams, aged 52, has been a director of the following companies during the five years preceding the date of this announcement:
| Current | Past |
| Enthera Pharmaceuticals | Polyneuron Pharmaceutics AG |
| VectivBio Pharmaceuticals | |
| Therachon Pharmaceuticals |
James Patrick Stearns, aged 42, has been a director of the following companies during the five years preceding the date of this announcement:
| Current | Past |
| Monkey Puzzle | |
| Howe Farming Limited | |
| Oakridge Farms |
There is no further information to be disclosed pursuant to Rule 17 or Schedule Two paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies.