Summit Appoints Leopoldo Zambeletti as a Non-Executive Director

Summit Corporation plc
('Summit' or 'the Company')

SUMMIT APPOINTS MR LEOPOLDO ZAMBELETTI AS A NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Oxford, UK, 30 May 2014 - Summit (AIM: SUMM), a drug discovery and development company advancing therapies for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy ('DMD') and C. difficile infection ('CDI'), announces the appointment of Mr Leopoldo Zambeletti as a Non-Executive Director. 

"On behalf of the Board, I am delighted to welcome Leopoldo Zambeletti to Summit's Board of Directors," commented Dr Frank Armstrong, Non-Executive Chairman of Summit.  "Leopoldo is a highly respected and experienced strategic advisor to the life sciences sector and brings significant expertise in a range of areas.  We look forward to him contributing to the future strategy of Summit as we focus on advancing our two independent programmes developing potential life-changing treatments for DMD and CDI."

Mr Zambeletti is an independent strategic advisor to the life sciences sector with expertise in a range of areas including mergers and acquisitions, equity financing and product out-licensing.  Mr Zambeletti previously worked in investment banking for 19 years where he led the European Healthcare Investment teams at JP Morgan and Credit Suisse respectively.

Leopoldo Zambeletti added, "Summit's programmes in DMD and CDI both represent potentially significant advances in the treatment of those diseases; SMT C1100 could provide a disease-modifying treatment for all boys with DMD and SMT19969 is designed to prevent CDI recurrence, a major issue in the disease today.  I am pleased to be joining Summit under a highly experienced leadership team as we seek to bring these compounds to patients in need."

About Leopoldo Zambeletti
Mr Leopoldo Zambeletti (aged 45) is a highly respected figure within the life sciences sector.  During a 19 year career as an investment banker, he led the European Healthcare Investment team at JP Morgan for eight years before taking up the same position at Credit Suisse for a further five years.  Since 2013 Mr Zambeletti has been an independent strategic advisor to life science companies on Merger and Acquisitions, out-licensing deals and financing strategy.  He is a Non-Executive Director of  Nogra Pharma and an advisor to the US medtech company Qardio.  He serves as a trustee to Barts and the London Charity, which helps to fund the hospitals of the Barts NHS Trust including St Bartholomew, the Royal London and the London Chest Hospitals, and he is a founder of the cultural initiative 5x15 Italy.  Mr Zambeletti started his career at KPMG as an accountant.

Mr Zambeletti has notified the Company of the following:

The Company confirms there is no other information required to be disclosed under Schedule 2 paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules.

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Notes to Editors

About Summit
Summit is an Oxford, UK based drug discovery and development company targeting high-value areas of unmet medical need including Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and C. difficile infection.  Summit is quoted on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange and trades under the ticker symbol SUMM. Further information is available at www.summitplc.com and Summit can be followed on Twitter (@summitplc).

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Forward Looking Statements
This announcement contains "forward-looking statements", including, but not limited to, statements about the discovery, development and commercialisation of programme assets. These forward-looking statements are statements based on the Company's current intentions, beliefs and expectations, which include, among other things, the Company's results of operations, financial condition, prospects, growth, strategies and the industry in which the Company operates. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future performance and actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.  Forward-looking statements and information by their nature involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. These include but are not limited to: adverse results in clinical or preclinical development studies; delays in obtaining regulatory approval; failure to obtain patent protection for inventions; commercial limitations imposed by patents owned or controlled by third parties; being unable to secure partnership agreements to develop and commercialise programme assets; being unable to secure the necessary funding to conduct any proposed research and development studies; and the ability to retain and recruit key personnel.  The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained in this announcement to reflect any changes in expectations with regard thereto or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by applicable law.