hVIVO appoints Dr Trevor Phillips as Executive Chairman alongside Jaime Ellertson as Non-Executive Director

– UK, London – hVIVO plc (AIM: HVO), a specialty biopharma company with discovery and clinical development capabilities, today announces the appointment of Dr Trevor Phillips as Executive Chairman, succeeding current Non-Executive Chairman, Jaime Ellertson who has held that position since June 2014. Jaime will remain on the board as a Non-Executive Director. Based in the US, Jaime is currently also CEO and Chairman of Everbridge Inc. (NASDAQ:EVBG).

Trevor will work closely with Kym Denny, CEO of hVIVO, to refine and focus the Company’s strategy to drive the business forward. He has over thirty years’ of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and has a proven track record in corporate development. He was previously Chief Operations Officer and President of US Operations, as well as a member of the Board, at Vectura Group plc. Prior to this, he served as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Critical Therapeutics Inc. and has also held senior management positions at Sepracor, Inc. (now Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.).

Trevor was originally appointed a Non-Executive Director of hVIVO in June 2017 and will assume his new role on 13 November 2017.

Kym Denny, CEO of hVIVO, said: “I am delighted that Trevor has accepted the role of Executive Chairman and I, as well as the rest of the management team, look forward to working closely with him. He has a wealth of experience in the sector, serving in a number of senior management roles at biopharmaceutical companies, including Vectura Group Plc, a company that is also focused on diseases that impact the airways and that has grown over time to become a constituent member of the FTSE 250. Trevor’s expertise in operations and corporate development in the space will be invaluable as we seek to refine our strategy to drive revenue growth and build a robust and profitable business that is centred on our proprietary Pathomics platform.

I would like to thank Jaime for all his support and guidance as Non-Executive Chairman over the past three years. This has been a formative time for hVIVO as we have sought to strengthen the Company’s position as a specialised centre of excellence for the clinical research and development of new therapies for respiratory and infectious diseases. We look forward to continuing to benefit from Jaime’s counsel as a Non-Executive Director.”

Speaking on his appointment as Executive Chairman of hVIVO, Dr Trevor Phillips commented: “I am excited at this opportunity to work with the hVIVO team to drive the business forward. I believe the Pathomics platform that the company has developed, coupled with the Company’s clinical expertise and know-how is a valuable and unique asset for those involved in the discovery and development of drugs for diseases that impact the airways and so enable precision therapies. I look forward to guiding the management team to ensure that the commercial potential of the platform and the business is realised so as to generate significant and sustainable shareholder value.”

About hVIVO plc

hVIVO plc, a specialty biopharma company with discovery and clinical testing capabilities, is pioneering a human-based analytical platform to accelerate drug discovery and development in respiratory and infectious diseases. Leveraging human disease models in flu, RSV and asthma exacerbation, the hVIVO platform captures disease in motion, illuminating the entire disease life cycle from healthy to sick and back to health. Based in the UK, market leader hVIVO has conducted more than 50 clinical studies, inoculated over 2500 volunteers and has three first-in-class therapies currently in development with a growing pre-clinical pipeline.

For more information : http://www.hvivo.com