UCB announces CEO succession plan in anticipation of next wave of product launches

Brussels – February 20, 2014 – 7:00 CET – Regulated information: The Board of Directors of UCB and CEO Roch Doliveux are pleased to announce the implementation of its CEO succession plan.

Jean-Christophe Tellier, currently UCB’s Executive Vice President, Biopharma Brands and Solutions, will be appointed Chief Executive Officer-Elect and Chairman of the Executive Committee as of March 1, 2014. Jean-Christophe Tellier will also be proposed to be appointed as a member of the Board of Directors at the next Annual General Meeting of Shareholders on April 24, 2014.

This change is the result of a long and well thought through succession plan to ensure necessary experience and knowledge transfer. It creates the best conditions for the company’s future growth allowing it, together with its 8500 colleagues, to deliver on UCB’s commitment to patients.

“In the last 10 years, under Roch Doliveux’s leadership, UCB has evolved from a diversified chemical company into a global biopharmaceutical leader”, said Gerhard Mayr, Chairman of UCB’s Board of Directors. “In that journey UCB has surmounted the patent cliff of its former blockbuster products and successfully launched three new core medicines - Cimzia^®, Vimpat^® and Neupro^®. We have also accelerated our growth in emerging markets and Japan, while continuously enhancing our R&D productivity to build today’s promising pipeline. Roch has put everything in place to prepare UCB for its next phase. We wish to express our gratitude for everything he has done for UCB and the patients who rely on our innovative products worldwide. We are confident that Jean-Christophe Tellier will continue to drive UCB to provide superior and sustainable value for patients. He and Roch will continue to work together throughout 2014 to ensure a smooth handover before Jean-Christophe takes the helm of UCB as of January 1, 2015.”

Roch Doliveux, CEO of UCB, said “UCB is entering an important new growth era: our rich late-stage pipeline is poised to reach pivotal milestones from the second half of 2014 through mid- 2016. Leadership continuity is critical to ensuring the successful launch of these important products in the severe disease areas of osteoporosis, lupus and epilepsy. Since joining UCB in 2011, Jean-Christophe has played a key role in UCB’s successes, and he has been instrumental in helping establish our current strategy. Jean-Christophe’s distinguished 25-year career in the biopharmaceutical industry, his patient-centric approach, his medical background as a rheumatologist and his passion for developing talent make him the perfect candidate to lead the company through its next phase of evolution. We are fortunate to have found UCB’s future leader internally; it has been a privilege for me to work with the Board to identify and develop my successor”.

UCB has planned an orderly handover period throughout the remainder of 2014 with Jean-Christophe Tellier working alongside current CEO, Roch Doliveux, to ensure a seamless transition when Jean-Christophe Tellier becomes Chief Executive Officer of UCB on January 1, 2015.

Biographies
Roch Doliveux’ and Jean-Christophe Tellier’s biographies are available on http://www.ucb.com/about-ucb/management

• For further information
  Antje Witte, Investor Relations, UCB
  T +32.2.559.9414, antje.witte@ucb.com
• Alexandra Deschner, Investor Relations, UCB
  T: +32.2.559.9683, alexandra.deschner@ucb.com
• France Nivelle, Global Communications, UCB
  T +32.2.559.9178, france.nivelle@ucb.com
• Laurent Schots, Media Relations, UCB
  T +32.2.559.9264, laurent.schots@ucb.com
  

About UCB

UCB, Brussels, Belgium (www.ucb.com) is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines and solutions to transform the lives of people living with severe diseases of the immune system or of the central nervous system. With about 9000 people in approximately 40 countries, the company generated revenue of EUR 3.4 billion in 2012. UCB is listed on Euronext Brussels (symbol: UCB).

Forward looking statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on current plans, estimates and beliefs of management. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including estimates of revenues, operating margins, capital expenditures, cash, other financial information, expected legal, political, regulatory or clinical results and other such estimates and results. By their nature, such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions which could cause actual results to differ materially from those that may be implied by such forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Important factors that could result in such differences include: changes in general economic, business and competitive conditions, the inability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals or to obtain them on acceptable terms, costs associated with research and development, changes in the prospects for products in the pipeline or under development by UCB, effects of future judicial decisions or governmental investigations, product liability claims, challenges to patent protection for products or product candidates, changes in laws or regulations, exchange rate fluctuations, changes or uncertainties in tax laws or the administration of such laws and hiring and retention of its employees. UCB is providing this information as of the date of this press release and expressly disclaims any duty to update any information contained in this press release, either to confirm the actual results or to report a change in its expectations.

There is no guarantee that new product candidates in the pipeline will progress to product approval or that new indications for existing products will be developed and approved. Products or potential products which are the subject of partnerships, joint ventures or licensing collaborations may be subject to differences between the partners. Also, UCB or others could discover safety, side effects or manufacturing problems with its products after they are marketed.

Moreover, sales may be impacted by international and domestic trends toward managed care and health care cost containment and the reimbursement policies imposed by third-party payers as well as legislation affecting biopharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement.