DGAP-News: Vita 34 introduces new Chief Financial Officer at the Annual General Meeting

Vita 34 introduces new Chief Financial Officer at the Annual General Meeting

• Dirk Plaga presented as new Chief Financial Officer of the Group with effect from 1 August
• Interim CFO Andreas Schafhirt continues to support post-merger integration as advisor
• High level of approval for all items on the agenda

Leipzig, 29 June, 2022 - Vita 34 AG (ISIN: DE000A0BL849; WKN: A0BL84), the leading cell bank in Europe and third largest in the world, today held its Annual General Meeting 2022 in virtual format in Berlin. At the time of voting, 73.2 percent of the voting capital was represented at this year's meeting, significantly more than in previous years. In addition to the usual resolutions on the appropriation of net profit, the ratification of the actions of the Management Board and Supervisory Board, and the election of the auditor, the agenda included resolutions on the election of the Supervisory Board, the change of the company's name to FamiCord AG, and the creation of new Authorized Capital 2022 and an authorization to acquire own shares.

After welcoming the shareholders and outlining the course of the meeting, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Andreas Granderath, announced an upcoming change in the Management Board of the Company. As of 1 August of this year, Mr. Dirk Plaga (57) will accordingly assume the position of Chief Financial Officer of the Company. Dirk Plaga has extensive experience in M&A, corporate finance and post-merger integration in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, among others. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President and Global Head of Finance for Evotec SE, which is also listed in the Prime Standard. "The Management Board and Supervisory Board of Vita 34 AG are very pleased to be able to win Mr. Plaga as Chief Financial Officer for the new Group, a manager who is so highly experienced and ideally suited to the company," explains Andreas Granderath. "Mr. Andreas Schafhirt, who filled the position on an interim basis since last year, deserves our expressed thanks for his dedicated efforts over the past months. He will continue to support the company as an advisor and ensure a smooth transition in day-to-day business and ongoing projects."

During his company presentation, CEO Jakub Baran went into detail about the Group's new direction following the merger between Vita 34 and PBKM FamiCord and highlighted the enormous potential that lies in the newly expanding business areas of Cell & Gene Therapies and CDMO. "In these new, rapidly developing business areas, Vita 34 will in the future act as a service provider for other pharmaceutical companies on the one hand, and develop its own drugs and therapies on the other," explained CEO Jakub Baran. "We already generate five percent of our group revenues with these areas today. The clinical trials required for the development of the therapies are already advanced and therefore already offer significant potential for a fundamental reassessment of the Group." At the same time, the CEO swore in the shareholders to a year of transition. "First of all, we have to cope with the fact in our core business that the environment characterized by COVID-19, war turmoil and Inflation holds and will hold numerous imponderables for Vita 34, and we are therefore facing a noticeable slowdown in our day-to-day business. Furthermore, we have only made a part of the required investments in the new expanding business areas, which is why extensive further investments will also be necessary in the current financial year 2022, financed from our nevertheless overall stable core business," Jakub Baran said. "We are confident that our efforts in the now and today will pay off to the maximum for the future of our Group. "

In detail, the items on the agenda were voted on with the following percentage approval of voting shares:

Agenda item 2:     99.0 %
Agenda item 3 a:  95.2 %
Agenda item 3 b:  98.8 %
Agenda item 3 c:  99.0 %
Agenda item 3 d:  95.2 %
Agenda item 3 e:  98.8 %
Agenda item 4:     94.4 %
Agenda item 5:     96.3 %
Agenda item 6:   100.0 %
Agenda item 7 a:  99.0 %
Agenda item 7 b:  99.4 %
Agenda item 8:     99.2 %
Agenda item 9:     99.3 %
Agenda item 10:   82.1 %
Agenda item 11:    99.6 %
Agenda item 12:    96.3 %
Agenda item 13:    99.8 %

Further details on the agenda items voted on are available for download on the website of Vita 34 AG at https://ir.vita34.de/investor-relations/hauptversammlung/hauptversammlung-2022/.

Contact:
Ingo Middelmenne
Investor Relations
Vita 34 AG
Phone: +49 (0341) 48792 0
Mobile: +49 (0174) 9091190
Email: ingo.middelmenne@vita34.de

Company profile

Vita 34 was founded in Leipzig in 1997 and is today by far the leading cell bank in Europe and the third largest worldwide. As Europe's first private cord blood bank and a pioneer in cell banking, the company has since offered collection logistics, processing and storage of stem cells from umbilical cord blood, umbilical cord tissue and other postnatal tissue as a full-service provider for cryopreservation. Customers from around 50 countries have already provided for their family's health with more than 850,000 units of stored biological materials at Vita 34.