Abcam : to appoint Gavin Wood as CFO

20 June 2016

ABCAM PLC

Abcam to appoint Gavin Wood, former Affymetrix executive, as Chief Financial Officer

Cambridge, UK: Abcam plc(AIM: ABC) ('Abcam'), a global leader in the supply of life science research tools, announces that Gavin Wood, former Executive Vice President ('EVP') & Chief Financial Officer ('CFO') of Affymetrix Inc., is to succeed Jeff Iliffe as Abcam's CFO. He will join the Company on 18 July 2016 as CFO-elect and, after a handover period, will replace Jeff as CFO and an Executive Director on the Board on 12 September 2016.

Gavin gained considerable finance leadership experience during a long tenure at Affymetrix Inc (NASDAQ: AFFX) where he held a number of positions over a ten-year period, including VP Finance and International Controller, based in the UK. He was appointed EVP & CFO in 2013 and led Affymetrix's global Finance and Information Technology functions based in their Santa Clara head office, prior to the company's acquisition for $1.3bn by Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc in April 2016.

Gavin is a Chartered Accountant who qualified with Morgan Brown Spofforth in 1997 before moving to Grant Thornton LLP. In 1999 he joined the Unipart Group where he held a number of positions including Business Unit Controller and Business Process Manager for a major ERP system implementation in North America.

Commenting on the new appointment, Alan Hirzel, Abcam's Chief Executive Officer, said:

'We are delighted to welcome Gavin to Abcam as we enter another exciting phase of growth and leadership in our industry. Gavin is a well-regarded public company CFO and brings directly relevant industry experience to Abcam. We were all impressed by his track record of financial control, systems implementation experience, market knowledge and transactional experience at Affymetrix. As we look ahead to building our business, we are confident that Gavin has the skills and leadership to strengthen our team and deliver results. I thank Jeff for his significant contributions to Abcam's success over nearly a decade and for his support during this transition.'

Gavin Wood, Abcam's future Chief Financial Officer, added:

'I am pleased to be joining Abcam at this important time in its development and I look forward to working with Alan and the Board as the Company continues to invest internally and externally to expand and deliver against its strategic priorities.'

The following information is disclosed pursuant to Schedule Two paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies. Gavin Hilary James Wood, aged 46 years, has been a director of the following companies during the five years preceding the date of this announcement:

There is no further information to be disclosed pursuant to Rule 17 or Schedule Two paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies.

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About Abcam plc

As an innovator in reagents and tools, Abcam's purpose is to serve life science researchers globally to achieve their mission, faster. Providing the research and clinical communities with tools and scientific support, the Company offers highly validated biological binders and assays to address important targets in critical biological pathways.

Already a pioneer in data sharing and ecommerce in the life sciences, Abcam's ambition is to be the most influential company in life sciences by helping advance global understanding of biology and causes of disease, which, in turn, will drive new treatments and improved health. Two-thirds of the world's 750,000 life science researchers use Abcam's affinity binders, reagents, biomarkers and assays and the Company's products are mentioned in over 20,000 of the 56,000 peer-reviewed papers published each year in the life sciences.

By actively listening to and collaborating with researchers, the Company continuously advances its portfolio to address their needs. A transparent programme of customer reviews and datasheets, combined with an industry-leading validation initiative, gives researchers increased confidence in their results.

Abcam's ten offices are located in the world's leading life science research hubs, enabling local services and multi-language support. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Cambridge, UK, the Company sells to more than 100 countries. Abcam was admitted to AIM in 2005 (AIM: ABC).

To find out more, please visitwww.abcam.comandwww.abcamplc.com

Forward looking statement

This announcement, including any information included or incorporated by reference in this announcement, may contain forward-looking statements (including words such as 'believe', 'expect', 'estimate', 'intend', 'anticipate' and words of similar meaning) which are based upon current expectations and assumptions regarding anticipated developments and other factors affecting the Abcam Group. All statements other than statements of historical facts may be forward-looking statements and should not be treated as guarantees of future performance. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Abcam Group, and there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as at the date of this announcement and accordingly undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. The Abcam Group does not assume any obligation to, and does not intend to, revise or update these forward-looking statements, except as required pursuant to applicable law.