Männedorf, Switzerland, October 6, 2017 - The Tecan Group (SIX Swiss Exchange: TECN) announced today that a succession process for the Board of Directors has been initiated. Rolf Classon, born in 1945 and member of the Board and Chairman since 2009, and Gérard Vaillant, born in 1942 and member of the Board since 2004, will not stand for re-election at the ordinary Annual General Meeting on April 17, 2018. Dr. Lukas Braunschweiler and Dr. Daniel R. Marshak will be proposed for election as new members. As the successor of Rolf Classon, Dr. Lukas Braunschweiler will be proposed for election as Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Over the past few years, Tecan has undergone a process of positive development enjoying profitable growth above market average. Under the tenure of Dr. David Martyr, CEO since 2012, and a strengthened leadership team, Tecan has brought to market a number of new major instrument platforms. It has also increased recurrent revenues from consumables, today already contributing over 40% of total sales. Geographical expansion has been strongly pushed forward, with a particular focus on China. The core business was further strengthened through four company acquisitions and the divestment of a non-strategic business segment. Under the tenure of Rolf Classon as Chairman, Corporate Governance has also been strengthened by removing the registration and voting limitations in place, thereby making the Tecan share more attractive.
Rolf Classon commented: "Today Tecan is in solid shape and the foundations have been laid for many more years of strong development. Therefore, this is a good point in time to initiate a succession process for the Board of Directors. I am very happy that, with Lukas Braunschweiler and Daniel R. Marshak, two highly successful and experienced leaders will be proposed for election. I take the chance to wholeheartedly thank Gérard Vaillant for his contribution over many years as member of the Board and in his role as acting CEO in 2012."
Two new members will be proposed Dr. Lukas Braunschweiler, born in 1956, is CEO of Sonova Holding AG (SIX Swiss Exchange: SOON) since 2011 and will remain in his role until end of March 2018. He has already been a member of the Board of Directors of the Tecan Group and Chairman of the Audit Committee, from 2009 until 2012. Before his role at Sonova, he was with RUAG Holding AG as CEO. He previously was a Delegate of the Board of Directors and CEO of Dionex Corporation, a US-based manufacturer of laboratory instruments (today part of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.). He also held executive positions at a number of major high-tech companies including Mettler-Toledo and Landis & Gyr. Lukas Braunschweiler graduated from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) in physical chemistry and is a Swiss citizen. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Schweiter Technologies AG (SIX Swiss Exchange: SWTQ). In addition, the Board of Directors of Sonova has announced to propose Lukas Braunschweiler for election as a member of the Board of Directors of Sonova at its Annual General Meeting in June 2018.
Dr. Daniel R. Marshak, born in 1957, is an experienced executive in the life sciences, diagnostics and biopharmaceuticals industries, leading high technology, global businesses and R&D functions for more than 20 years. From 2006 to 2014 he worked at PerkinElmer, Inc. (NYSE: PKI). In his last role as Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, he was responsible for all science and technology as well as research and development activities and also led several acquisitions during that time. Before joining PerkinElmer, Daniel R. Marshak was Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Biotechnology, at Cambrex Corporation (NYSE: CBM) and Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC: OSIR). Prior to his corporate career, he held various research positions in academia and research institutions, such as Adjunct Associate Professor at The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Senior Staff Investigator at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and Assistant Professor, School of Medicine at State University of New York at Stony Brook. Daniel R. Marshak studied Biochemistry at Harvard University and holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry & Cell Biology from The Rockefeller University in New York. He is a US citizen and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: NVIV) and privately held Upside Biotechnologies, Ltd. in Auckland, New Zealand.
About Tecan Tecan (www.tecan.com) is a leading global provider of laboratory instruments and solutions in biopharmaceuticals, forensics and clinical diagnostics. The company specializes in the development, production and distribution of automated workflow solutions for laboratories in the life sciences sector. Its clients include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, university research departments, forensic and diagnostic laboratories. As an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Tecan is also a leader in developing and manufacturing OEM instruments and components that are then distributed by partner companies. Founded in Switzerland in 1980, the company has manufacturing, research and development sites in both Europe and North America and maintains a sales and service network in 52 countries. In 2016, Tecan generated sales of CHF 506 million (USD 511 million; EUR 464 million). Registered shares of Tecan Group are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (TECN; ISIN CH0012100191).
For further information:
Tecan Group Martin Braendle Vice President, Communications & Investor Relations Tel. +41 (0) 44 922 84 30 Fax +41 (0) 44 922 88 89 investor@tecan.com www.tecan.com
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