18th November 2014

Synthomer plc

Appointment of Group Chief Executive

Synthomer plc ('Synthomer' or 'the Company') is pleased to announce that it has appointed Calum MacLean as Group Chief Executive. Calum joins from INEOS Group ('INEOS'), where he is a senior Board executive and was a founder member of the business in 1998. He is currently Executive Chairman of INEOS Olefins and Polymers Europe.

Calum will join the Synthomer Board in early January 2015 and succeed Adrian Whitfield who announced in July that he would stand down after eight years as Chief Executive. Adrian will stay on to help with a handover process.

Calum is also Chairman of Styrolution, INEOS's joint venture with BASF, and Petroineos Refining, INEOS's joint venture with PetroChina. At INEOS, he has been Chief Executive of a number of its principal business units and actively involved in merger and acquisitions, strategy and implementation. Previously, he spent 6 years at Inspec (International Speciality Chemicals), a publicly listed company on the London Stock Exchange that was originally formed through a management buyout of BP Chemicals.

Neil Johnson, Chairman, said:

"Calum has an outstanding twenty year track record in the chemicals industry. His knowledge of our market and years of leadership experience will be invaluable in helping to take Synthomer into the next phase of its growth and development. We look forward to welcoming him to the business at the start of the New Year.

On behalf of the Board I would like to reiterate my thanks to Adrian Whitfield for his excellent contribution to Synthomer. Adrian has taken the business through substantial change, helping to redefine the business model alongside integrating a large and successful acquisition. He leaves Synthomer strategically well placed and financially strong and we wish him the very best for the future."

Calum MacLean said:

"Having spent nearly seventeen years at the heart of one of the UK's most successful chemical companies, I am enormously excited about a fresh challenge as Synthomer's new Chief Executive. The business offers exciting opportunities for future growth and I look forward to working with the team and taking the business forward."

There are no further details required to be disclosed under LR 9.6.13R of the Listing Rules of the UK Listing Authority.

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