PLUS Markets Group plc - Statement re Board changes

Board changes



The Board of PLUS Markets Group plc ("PLUS Markets" or "the Company") are

pleased to announce a number of board changes. These are intended to enhance

the company's ongoing development plans, building on its present foundations

and its expertise in trading and listing of small & mid-cap companies.



Giles Vardey has been appointed as Non-Executive Chairman with effect from

today. Giles has over 27 years senior management and board experience in

financial markets, investment banking and high growth companies. Recently he

was a consultant at Babson Capital, a major US fund manager, and he is also a

non-executive director of Pipeline Financial Europe Ltd, a specialist equity

trading systems provider. Previous roles include Chairman of CQS Management,

one of Europe's leading hedge funds, and Chief Executive of Greig Middleton &

Co, part of Gerrard plc, which at the time was the largest private client

stockbroking firm in the UK.



Prior to his becoming President and CEO of Fidelity Brokerage Services, a

division of the US fund management giant, Giles served on the main board of the

London Stock Exchange between 1992 and 1997, as the board director responsible

for implementing SETS and the creation of AIM and FTSE International. He is a

Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment and has served on

the Securities Trading Committee of the London Investment Banking Association.



Giles was a non-executive director of the Company from January 2007 to

September 2009. Full details as required by the AIM Rules are provided below.



Giles takes over the chairmanship of the Board from Stephen Hazell-Smith, who

is stepping down. Stephen has completed five years as Chairman and under his

stewardship the Company's wholly owned subsidiary, PLUS Markets plc, became a

Recognised Investment Exchange and its trading volumes and primary market

activity increased markedly. The Board is very grateful for his significant

contribution to this important phase of the Company's development.



Simon Brickles, currently Chief Executive Officer, takes up the new executive

role of Vice Chairman, with a focus on PLUS Markets' international activity,

particularly in the Middle East. This appointment will take effect from 15

February 2010. Cyril Theret, Business Development Director since 2007, steps

into the role of Chief Executive Officer with effect from that date. He will

continue to work closely with Chief Financial Officer Nemone Wynn-Evans to

drive the company towards profitability.



During 2009, the PLUS stock exchange recorded a substantial rise in trading

volumes of over 200% on the previous year by number of shares traded, with

total value traded amounting to GBP52.7 billion. Overall equity flow ranked third

* for all UK equities trading by volume of shares for the months of September,

October and November. The exchange saw strong retail activity in FTSE 100

stocks during volatile periods in 2009, with PLUS market share in certain bank

stocks rising as high as 30% by value. With the commencement of AIM trading in

Q3, during Q4 PLUS attracted some 25-30% of trading activity on the AIM market

onto its exchange, while capturing almost 100% market share of certain

securities.



Despite the generally difficult market conditions which continue to prevail,

some 30 companies applied to join the PLUS-quoted market during 2009, 18 of

which had been admitted by the end of December. and its advisory community

continued to build with the admission of six new PLUS Corporate Advisers. In

addition, its reach broadened to appeal to a more diverse range of asset

classes, including the issue by Barclays Bank of Nuclear Power Notes following

the acquisition of British Energy by EDF, and the issue by Bank of New York

Mellon of Global Depository Receipts on PLUS.



The new Board will be seeking to capitalise on PLUS Markets' position as a

fully competitive stock exchange based in London, leveraging its ability to

offer primary market services by diversifying its product portfolio and

extending its geographical reach, while developing its secondary market

services through moving into electronic execution. More details of the

company's enlarged strategic ambitions will be made available in due course.



Giles Vardey said:" I am delighted to be leading the PLUS stock exchange into

the next phase of its development. The exchange has already won significant

market share in an extraordinarily competitive trading environment and

attracted some innovative customer business. It is now in a strong position to

extend its scope in both primary and secondary market activity and pursue the

many opportunities opening up in international capital markets."



Cyril Theret said: "I look forward to working closely with our customers in

order to provide them with equity market services that are closely aligned to

their needs. Having established a firm franchise in the small & mid-cap space,

we now seek to leverage this position to offer creative market-driven solutions

in a rapidly-changing industry environment,"



Simon Brickles said: "PLUS has completed the first phase of its development. It

has gained its status as an exchange, obtained its licences and become a

natural home for many small companies. It is now time to build on these

achievements and cater for a broader range of products and services and to

continue to expand internationally. It is right that as the Company enters this

exciting broader phase that it has a new Chairman and Chief Executive and I

offer them my full support."



For further information, please contact:



PLUS Markets Group plc - 020 7553 2000



Nemone Wynn-Evans



Numis Securities Ltd - 020 7260 1000



Nick Westlake (Nominated Advisor), Charles Farquhar (Corporate Broker)



Rostron Parry - 020 7490 8062



John Parry



Additional information



Full directors' disclosure details for Giles Vardey, age 53, as required by the

AIM Rules Schedule 2 paragraph g are as follows.



Current Directorships: 54 Onslow Gardens Management Ltd, Canford School Ltd,

Pipeline Financial Europe Ltd. Past Directorships within the last five years:

Computerland UK Ltd, Hunter-Fleming Ltd, Knightserve Ltd, PLUS Markets Group

plc, PLUS Markets plc, The Boat Race Company Ltd.



He was a director of a company known as ProtX Limited, now Xtorp Limited, when

the company was placed in administration on 16 March 2001. He had joined the

company on 1 September 2000 in order to assist with the rescue of the company.

A payment counterparty froze significant funds of the company in March 2001 and

the board of directors called in adminstrators. He ceased to be a director on

14 October 2002.



He joined Brightview Limited as a director on 17 September 2001. He resigned on

23 April 2002. 11 months following his resignation, on 9 April 2003, the

company was placed in administration. The administration followed the

withdrawal of funds by the main lender. All creditors were repaid in full and

the company was liquidated on 26 April 2006.



Save for the above, there is no further information to be disclosed.



*Industry ranking by the Thomson Reuters MiFID monthly market share report.



Notes to editors: PLUS Markets is an international retail-focused stock

exchange based in London, with ""Recognised Investment Exchange" status, and

classed as a Market Operator under MiFID. Its offering includes the full range

of stock exchange activities, namely: trading execution, the provision of

proprietary market data and listing/quotation destinations. PLUS currently

trades over 9,000 securities on its platform including London-listed shares

(including the FTSE 100), European liquid shares, and unlisted shares quoted on

the AIM and PLUS markets.







END

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