Valbiotis Appoints Sébastien Bessy, International Expert in Consumer Healthcare, as Chief Operating Marketing and Business Officer

Press release

Valbiotis (FR0013254851 – ALVAL, PEA/SME eligible) (Paris:ALVAL), a Research and Development company committed to scientific innovation for preventing and combating metabolic diseases, announces the appointment of Sébastien BESSY as Chief Operating Marketing and Business Officer.

As of June 8, 2021, Sébastien BESSY will be responsible for the global deployment and coordination of the international strategy related to Valbiotis’ marketing and commercial development in order to support the growth of the Company, and strengthen and develop strategic alliances.
Furthermore, Sébastien BESSY, as a member of the Strategic Direction Board and then of the Supervisory Board of Valbiotis since 2014, will become a member of the Board of Directors as of his appointment.

Sébastien PELTIER, CEO, Chairman of the Board of Directors, comments: "We are delighted to welcome Sébastien BESSY to the Valbiotis Board of Directors. He will drive the Company's ambition at a pivotal time as we prepare the market launch of our first four active substances in development. Sébastien BESSY has in-depth knowledge of the challenges of the healthcare sector with over 20 years of experience in Consumer Healthcare at international pharmaceutical groups. His highly strategic expertise in key markets is a crucial asset that will enable Valbiotis to accelerate its momentum in the future and to strengthen and develop alliances. With our multitarget active substances, we aim to transform the health experiences of millions of people around the world. The appointment of Sébastien BESSY is perfectly in tune with this objective, and the ability to establish our products thanks to high level market expertise will be a decisive asset in shaping Valbiotis' success."

Sébastien BESSY is an expert in the Consumer Healthcare sector, having held various marketing and innovation positions at major pharmaceutical companies over the past 20 years. He has unique international experience, both operational and strategic, in consumer marketing and product innovation, particularly in Europe, Asia including China, North America and Latin America.

During his last 6 years at Ipsen, Sébastien BESSY held the positions of Vice-President Global Marketing & Portfolio Strategy Consumer Healthcare and Vice-President Global Strategic Operations Consumer Healthcare. Prior to joining Ipsen, Sébastien BESSY previously held the positions of Managing Director Europe at Biofortis, a subsidiary of Mérieux Nutrisciences, Global Director of "Probiotic Platform" Innovation at Merck Consumer Healthcare, Global Strategic Marketing Director at Merck Consumer Healthcare and Global Marketing Manager at Reckitt Benckiser.
Sébastien BESSY is a graduate of ISC Paris and began his career at Sanofi Aventis.

Sébastien BESSY adds: ‘I am delighted to join Valbiotis at this time of accelerated development. Throughout my career, in different markets around the world, I have been committed to bringing more and more innovations to patients. I am very excited to join this dynamic company with a clear mission and commitment to develop a new class of plant-based health nutrition products that address unmet needs in the prevention and control of metabolic diseases. Worldwide, 39% of adults are overweight or obese¹, a major risk factor for premature death², often associated with metabolic disorders such as elevated fasting blood glucose, dyslipidemia or high blood pressure³. Hundreds of millions of people around the world are affected. Valbiotis' pipeline and R&D platform represent a source of value for future alliances and a potential for rapid expansion, which will need to be supported by a commercial organization capable of targeting these significant markets, key to our priorities. As a member of the Strategic Direction Board and then of the Supervisory Board of Valbiotis since its creation, I have been able to follow the progress made in just a few years and to appreciate the strength of the strategy implemented, to which I intend to devote all my energy.’

About Valbiotis
Valbiotis is a Research & Development company committed to scientific innovation for preventing and combating metabolic diseases in response to unmet medical needs.
Valbiotis has adopted an innovative approach, aiming to revolutionize healthcare by developing a new class of health nutrition products designed to reduce the risk of major metabolic diseases, based on a multi-target approach enabled by the use of plant-based ingredients.
Its products are intended to be licensed to players in the health sector.
Created at the beginning of 2014 in La Rochelle, the Company has forged numerous partnerships with leading academic centers. The Company has established three sites in France: Périgny, La Rochelle (17) and Riom (63).
Valbiotis is a member of the "BPI Excellence" network and has been recognized as an "Innovative Company" by the BPI label. Valbiotis has also been awarded "Young Innovative Company" status and has received major financial support from the European Union for its research programs via the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Valbiotis is a PEA-SME eligible company.
For more information about Valbiotis, please visit: www.valbiotis.com.

¹ World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/prevalence-of-overweight-among-adults-bmi-greaterequal-25-(crude-estimate)-(-) (consulted on May 27, 2021).
²World Health Organization, www.emro.who.int/fr/noncommunicable-diseases/causes/unhealthy-diets.html(consulted on May 27, 2021).
³ The IDF consensus worldwide definition of the metabolic syndrome, International Diabetes Federation, 2006.

Name: Valbiotis
ISIN code: FR0013254851
Mnemonic code: ALVAL
EnterNext© PEA-PME 150

This press release contains forward-looking statements about Valbiotis' objectives. Valbiotis considers that these projections are based on rational hypotheses and the information available to the company at the present time. However, in no way does this constitute a guarantee of future performance, and these projections may be reconsidered based on changes in economic conditions and financial markets, as well as a certain number of risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Valbiotis registration document, approved by the French Financial Markets Regulator (AMF) on 31 July 2020 (application number R 20-018). This document is available on the Company's website (www.valbiotis.com).
This press release, as well as the information contained herein, does not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe to, or a solicitation to purchase or subscribe to, Valbiotis' shares or securities in any country.

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Contact information

Corporate communication / Valbiotis
Carole Rocher / Marc Delaunay
+33 5 46 28 62 58
media@valbiotis.com

Financial communication / Actifin
Stéphane Ruiz
+33 1 56 88 11 14
sruiz@actifin.fr