SimplyBiz Group PLC (The) Directorate Change (5611M)

TIDMSBIZ

RNS Number : 5611M

SimplyBiz Group PLC (The)

09 January 2019

9 January 2019

The SimplyBiz Group plc

(the "Company" or "SimplyBiz")

Directorate change

Appointment of Gary Hughes as Senior Independent Non-Executive Director

SimplyBiz (AIM: SBIZ), the leading independent provider of compliance and business services to financial advisers and financial institutions in the UK, is pleased to announce the appointment of Gary Hughes as Senior Independent Non-Executive Director and member of the Audit Committee with effect from 8 January 2019. Gary will be appointed as Head of the Audit Committee following the announcement of the results for the year ended 31 December 2018.

Gary Hughes qualified as a Chartered Accountant at Ernst and Whinney before moving to take up industry roles which included finance director at Forte Plc, Emap Plc and Gala Coral Group. Whilst holding these executive positions, Gary was also a Non-Executive Director and chaired the audit committee for each of J Sainsbury Plc, for 10 years, and Booker Group Plc, for two years. Gary also held a senior position at Apax Partners and advised at board level for a number of their investments. Since leaving Apax in 2018, Gary has taken up a number of non-executive director appointments.

Ken Davy, Non-Executive Chairman, said:

"I am delighted to welcome Gary to the SimplyBiz Board. He brings a wealth of public company experience and will complement the range of skills we currently have on the Board. We all look forward to working with Gary."

Additional Information

The following information is being disclosed pursuant to Rule 17 and paragraph (g) of Schedule 2 of the AIM Rules for Companies.

Gary William Hughes, aged 56, is, or has during the last five years been, a director or partner of the following companies and partnerships:

 
 Current directorships/partnerships   Former directorships/partnerships 
                                       within last five years 
 
   Rocks Basketball Limited             Scottish Football Association 
   Scottish Event Campus Limited        Limited 
   QD Events Limited                    Booker Group Limited 
                                        Premier Farnell Limited 
                                        Smart Technologies (GB) Limited 
                                        The People's Operator Plc 
                                        J Sainsbury Plc 
                                        Matomy Media Group Limited 
                                        Smart Technologies Corporation 
                                        Apax Partners LLP 
                                        Majid Al Futtaim, Retail LLP 
                                        General Healthcare Group Limited 
                                        GHG 2008 (Unrestricted Subsidiary) 
                                        Limited 
                                        GHG 1 (Hospital Operations) 
                                        Limited 
                                     ------------------------------------- 
 

Gary Hughes was a Director of Suitcase Two Limited and Suitcase Three Limited, part of the Gala Coral group of companies ("Gala Coral Group"), having been recruited to assist with a material restructuring of the Gala Coral Group which completed in June 2010. Gary was part of the rescue management team that successfully negotiated a significant debt for equity swap that facilitated the wider group to be restructured in order that it could continue to trade, saving many jobs. As part of the wider group restructuring, Suitcase Two Limited and Suitcase Three Limited were subject to voluntary creditor liquidations.

There are no further disclosures required to be made in respect of Gary Hughes' appointment.

For further information please contact:

 
 The SimplyBiz Group plc                 via Instinctif Partners 
 Matt Timmins (Joint Chief Executive 
  Officer) 
  Neil Stevens (Joint Chief Executive 
  Officer) 
 
 Zeus Capital (Nominated Adviser and 
  Sole Broker)                           [phone] 
 Martin Green 
  Andrew Jones 
  Pippa Hamnett 
 
 Instinctif Partners                     [phone] 
                                          / [e-mail] 
 Giles Stewart 
  Rachel Cashmore 
 

Notes to editors

With over 3,600 member firms in the UK, SimplyBiz is a leading independent provider of compliance and business services to financial advisers, including directly authorised IFAs, directly authorised mortgage advisers, workplace consultants and directly authorised consumer credit brokers. It also provides marketing and promotion, product panelling and co-manufacturing services to more than 135 financial institutions, through access to its membership.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact [e-mail] or visit www.rns.com.

END

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January 09, 2019 02:00 ET (07:00 GMT)