WideCells Group PLC LON:WDC, the healthcare services group focused on providing stem cell services and ground-breaking insurance for stem cell treatment, this morning announced a number of corporate developments.
WideCells Group CEO, João Andrade, said, “We are delighted to welcome David Henriques to the Board. His extensive corporate finance experience and knowledge of digitalisation in the insurance industry will be invaluable to us as we continue to build the profile of our company. WideCells Group was founded to provide an end-to-end stem cell service having early identified a number of market opportunities.
Our sights are now on growth and commercial roll-out. In support of this, we have identified significant development opportunities in the Asia-Pacific territories, where the stem cell industry is gaining increasing profile. Furthermore, we are delighted to have launched our Wideacademy platform, which we believe will support both stem cell storage and treatment uptake, and the development of the industry as a whole. Wideacademy, together with our stem cell insurance product, CellPlan, are the first products of their kind, and it is our ability to recognise industry limitations and find solutions to overcome them, which I believe sets us apart and puts us on the path for significant growth.”
· David Henriques has been appointed to the board as a Non-Executive Director:
o Mr Henriques has significant asset management and corporate finance experience, and is involved with the digitalisation of insurance products
o As part of this appointment, Mr. Zakaria Aziz will be stepping down from his Non-Executive position.
· Wideacademy, the Group’s 100% owned education and training division, has successfully launched the first stage of www.wideacademy.co:
o Provides educational content for both the public and medical professionals to raise the profile of stem cell technologies and support the development of the industry.
o Platform combines free-to-access educational areas with paid for premium digital tools and resources for doctors/medical professionals
· With a strengthened board and three active divisions, the Group’s primary focus is now on building its global profile, increasing client reach and driving sales of its stem cell services:
o Identified new opportunities within Asia-Pacific region
o E-commerce site now live for INDUS and product development continues with minimal additional capital outlay and management resources
Mr. David Henriques has been appointed to the Board as Non-Executive Director. His appointment will enable the Group to separate the functions of Group Chairman from that of Chairman of the Audit & Risk Committee. Mr Henriques will act as Chairman of the Group’s Audit & Risk Committee, while Mr. Peter Presland will continue as Group Chairman.
As an experienced corporate financier who is involved with the digitalisation of insurance products, Mr. Henriques brings a unique skill set to support the continued growth of WideCells Group. He is a co-Founder and Director of Cairn Capital Ltd , a full-service credit asset management firm, and was formerly co-Global Head of Structured Credit Products with the Royal Bank of Scotland. Prior to this, he held various senior positions in corporate finance and insurance companies. He is currently a Non-Executive Director of Azur Group Holdings Limited, an Insurance Managing Digital Agency, which partners with carriers and brokers to build, underwrite and distribute digital insurance products.
