Genetix Group plc

Board Changes

New Milton, UK, 31st July, 2008 - Genetix Group plc (AIM: GTX) ("Genetix" or the "Company"), the cancer diagnostic and biopharmaceutical technologies group, today announces the strengthening of its senior management team in order to support Genetix' increasing presence in the biopharmaceutical drug discovery and cancer diagnostics markets. As part of this strategy Charles de Rohan, currently a Divisional Vice President at Abbott Laboratories, will be appointed as Chief Executive with effect from 15th September, 2008 and Mark Reid will then take-up the position as a Non-Executive Director and strategic consultant to Genetix.

Charles de Rohan, age 46 years, will be joining Genetix from Abbott Laboratories where he currently holds the position of Divisional Vice President, Scientific Leadership and Global Accounts EMEA within Abbott's Diagnostic Division, a business with revenues in excess of $1 billion.  With over 20 years of corporate and sector experience, Charles brings a wealth of international business and marketing knowledge to the Company. During his 15 years at Abbott Laboratories, Charles has held a number of international roles and been responsible for successfully developing management teams and businesses within the clinical diagnostic field.

Mark Reid has decided that as part of the Company's strategic development it is now appropriate to broaden the skill set of the management team in order to further exploit growth opportunities within the cancer and clinical diagnostic markets.  He will continue to be firmly committed to the Company and Genetix' Board will continue to benefit from his extensive experience.  In addition to assuming the role of a Non-Executive Director, as part of an ongoing consultancy agreement, he will have a specific brief to advise the Board on strategic direction and acquisition opportunities.

Separately, Genetix also announces that after eight years in the role, John Morgan will step down as Non-Executive Chairman of Genetix with effect from 4th August, 2008.  Dr. James Hill, currently Senior Non-Executive Director of Genetix, will then assume the role of Non-Executive Chairman of the Company.  James has significant experience in the sector and was the former Head of Strategic Product Development and Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs at SmithKline Beecham plc until the merger with Glaxo Wellcome plc in December 2000.

Mark Reid, Chief Executive of Genetix, said: "On behalf of the Board, I am delighted to welcome Charles de Rohan to Genetix. His impressive track record of growing businesses and delivering on strategic initiatives within the life sciences sector will be of enormous value to the Company. In addition, Charles' extensive experience in the clinical diagnostic field will help us further expand and fully exploit our new product line opportunities within this exciting, fast-growing market." 

"I remain completely committed to the Company, but believe it is the appropriate time for me to step down as Chief Executive as the business enters the next stage of growth that requires additional management skills. As a Non-Executive Director and strategic consultant to the Company, I am looking forward to working closely with Charles, our Finance Director Andrew Kellett and the rest of the Board as they drive the next phase of Genetix' growth."

Charles de Rohan commented: "I am very excited to be taking on the role of Chief Executive of Genetix and am very pleased to be working in such an innovative and high growth Company. The Genetix team is highly experienced and successful and I welcome the opportunity to work with them to deliver the full value of Genetix' existing product lines on a global scale, as well as further establishing the Company's  presence in the Clinical diagnostics area."

Mark Reid added: "On behalf of the Board of Genetix, I would like to thank John Morgan for his tremendous support over the years - we will miss his wise counsel and enthusiastic leadership of the Board and wish him well for the future.  John has seen the Company grow from a small genomics based business to the present time, where the Company has an extensive range of products serving dynamic international markets.  I am very pleased that James Hill has agreed to assume the role of Chairman of Genetix.  His prior knowledge of the Company, previous strategic planning experience together with his leadership skills in this capacity will be of considerable benefit to the Company."

"Genetix is well placed to strengthen its position within its chosen markets and these senior management changes underpin our commitment to evolve and attract highly talented and experienced individuals as the Company enters a new stage in its strategic development." 

Save as set out below, in connection with the appointment of Charles de Rohan, no additional disclosures are required pursuant to Schedule Two Annex III (g) of the AIM rules. 

(i) Full name and age:

Charles Raoul de Rohan, 46 years old.

(ii) In accordance with AIM Rule 17 the Company confirms that neither Charles de Rohan nor any persons connected with him (within the meaning of Section 346 of the Companies Act 1985, as amended) has any interest in the Company's share capital.

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About Genetix Group plc

Based in New Milton, UK, and quoted on the AIM (AIM: GTX), Genetix delivers the competitive edge in cell identification and selection from discovery to diagnosis. Genetix technologies are bringing new efficiencies to the cancer diagnostics and biopharmaceutical markets from target discovery through to clinical diagnosis. We continually deliver technological breakthroughs to increase our customers' productivity and success.

Genetix' customer base includes many of the world's leading cancer pathology, cytogenetic and biopharmaceutical groups. The Company's achievements helped revolutionize cell biology, proteomics and genomics. Genetix made a significant contribution to the Human Genome Project by supplying high-throughput equipment to seven of the leading eight laboratories of the consortium. Today, through its R&D expertise and scientific resource, Genetix is committed to the continual development of innovative solutions to accelerate the rate of cell based research.

For more information please visit www.genetix.com.

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