DirectorsTalk Interviews

Cambridge Cognition plc (LON:COG) CEO Matthew Stork joins DirectorsTalk to chat about preliminary results for 2019. Matthew talks us through the highlights, explains why Q1 2020 order intake has been so positive, the impact of COVID-19 and shares his thoughts on the coming months and the future for the company.

CentralNic Group plc (LON:CNIC) CEO Ben Crawford joins DirectorsTalk to discuss final results for the year ended 31st Dec 2019 and Q1 2020. Ben talks us through the financial performance for the year, explains what kind of growth they have seen over the first quarter, the effects of COVID-19, why its important that 50% of revenues are coming from domain related services and how the integration of both Team Internet and the new hires is going.

CentralNic Group is a London-based AIM-listed company which drives the growth of the global digital economy by developing and managing software platforms allowing businesses globally to buy subscriptions to domain names, used for their own websites and email, as well as for protecting their brands online. Its core growth strategy is identifying and acquiring cash-generative businesses in its industry with annuity revenue streams and exposure to growth markets and migrating them onto the CentralNic software and operating platforms.

The company operates globally with customers in almost every country in the world. It earns recurring revenues from the worldwide sales of internet domain names and other services on an annual subscription basis.

Open Orphan plc (LON:ORPH) CEO Cathal Friel joins DirectorsTalk to discuss the testing of an anti-viral for treating COVID-19. Cathal explains whats involved in the testing, the time frames involved and what investors should expect over the coming months and weeks. 

Open Orphan is a rapidly growing specialist CRO pharmaceutical services company which has a focus on orphan drugs and is a world leader in the provision of virology and vaccine challenge study services and viral laboratory services. It has Europe's only 24-bedroom quarantine clinic with onsite virology lab in Queen Mary's Hospital London. hVIVO supports product development for customers developing antivirals, vaccines and respiratory therapeutics, all particularly relevant and topical in the environment of heightened awareness of Covid-19 in 2020. The Company also has a leading portfolio of 8 viral challenge study models which are: 2 FLU, 2 RSV, 1 HRV, 1 Asthma, 1 cough and 1 COPD viral challenge models. As announced in early March, Open Orphan is rapidly advancing a Coronavirus challenge study model and expects to be very active with many companies in the development of a Covid-19 vaccine. No other company in the world has such a portfolio, with only two competitors globally having 1 challenge study model each. 

Open Orphan comprises of two commercial specialist CRO services businesses (Venn and hVIVO) and is developing an early stage orphan drug genomics data platform business. This platform captures valuable genetic data from patient populations with specific diseases with designated orphan drug status and incorporating AI tools. In June 2019, Open Orphan acquired AIM-listed Venn Life Sciences Holdings plc in a reverse take-over and in January 2020 it completed the merger with hVIVO plc. Venn, as an integrated drug development consultancy, offers CMC (chemistry, manufacturing and controls), preclinical, Phase I & II clinical trials design and execution. The merger with hVIVO created a European full pharma services company broadening the Company's customer base and with complementary specialist CRO services, widened the range of the Company's service offerings.

NQ Minerals plc (AQUIS: NQMI) (OTCQB: NQMLF) Chairman David Lenigas joins DirectorsTalk to discuss the significantly expanded Nickel resource in Tasmania. David talks us through the highlights, expands on the long-term plans for the Beaconsfield region, touches on speaking to off-takers and battery industry players and what investors can expect from NQ Minerals in the coming months.

Surface Transforms plc (LON:SCE) is the topic of conversation when Hardman & Co Analyst Mike Foster joins us. Mike explains what the company does, the market place, suppliers, how big the company will get, profits, risks and why the company valuation looks so favourable. 

Jubilee Metals Group plc (LON:JLP) CEO Leon Coetzer joins DirectorsTalk to discuss the impact of COVID 19. Leon touches on the highlights of the latest interim results, the effect of COVID 19 and his optimism for the future.

Hardide plc (LON:HDD) CEO Philip Kirkham joins DirectorsTalk to discuss being honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of the outstanding growth of its international sales. Phil provides more details around the award, explains why they applied for it and whats next for Hardide internationally.

Surface Transforms plc (LON:SCE) Chairman David Bundred joins DirectorsTalk to discuss the effects of COVID 19 and a recent fund raise. First David explains whats is going on at Surface Transforms, where they are headed, the effect on customers, the effect on the company, why money has been raised and why now an open offer.

Surface Transforms are experts in the development and production of carbon-ceramic materials and the UK’s only manufacturer of carbon-ceramic brakes for automotive use. ST utilises our proprietary next-generation carbon-ceramic material – CCST – to create lightweight brake discs for high-performance applications, including automotive and aircraft brakes. Surface Transforms has extensive in-house engineering and manufacturing capabilities, including the facilities for manufacturing carbon-ceramic brake discs.

While conventional carbon-ceramic brake discs use discontinuous (chopped) carbon fibre, ST interweaves continuous carbon fibre to form a 3D matrix, producing a stronger and more durable product with 3x the heat conductivity compared to our competitors; this reduces the brake system operating temperature, resulting in increased life of components with the same brake performance.

Surface Transforms’ unique patented Carbon-Ceramic technology provides the ultimate braking performance for road and track.

Avacta Group plc (LON:AVCT) CEO Alastair Smith joins DirectorsTalk to discuss the development and manufacture of a rapid test for the COVID-19 coronavirus infection for population screening. Alastair explains what the test will be able to do, why the Affimer platform is ideal for developing this kind of diagnostic, the commercial terms of the agreement and when we should expect the test to be available.

Avacta Group is developing novel cancer immunotherapies combining its two proprietary platforms – Affimer® biotherapeutics and pre|CISION™ tumour targeted chemotherapy. With this approach, the Company aims to address the lack of a durable response to current immunotherapies experienced by most patients. The Company’s therapeutics development activities are based in Cambridge, UK.

The Affimer platform is an alternative to antibodies derived from a small human protein. Despite their shortcomings, antibodies currently dominate markets worth in excess of $100bn. Affimer technology has been designed to address many of these negative performance issues, principally: the time taken, and the reliance on an animal’s immune response, to generate new antibodies; poor specificity in many cases; large size and cost.

Avacta has established drug development partnerships with pharma and biotech, including with Moderna Therapeutics Inc., a deal with LG Chem worth up to $310m, a partnership with ADC Therapeutics to develop Affimer drug conjugates and has established a joint venture in South Korea with Daewoong Pharmaceutical focused on cell and gene therapies incorporating Affimer immune-modulators. Avacta actively seeks to license its proprietary platforms in a range of therapeutic areas.

Avacta diagnostics business unit works with partners world-wide to develop Affimers for evaluation by those third parties with the objective of establishing royalty bearing license deals. The Company is also developing a small in-house pipeline of Affimer-based diagnostic assays for licensing.

CentralNic Group plc (LON:CNIC) CEO Ben Crawford joins DirectorsTalk to discuss an internal leadership restructuring new key appointments and its COVID 19 update. Ben talks us through the changes, the key messages from the update and explains what makes CentralNic Group so resilient.

CentralNic Group is a London-based AIM-listed company which drives the growth of the global digital economy by developing and managing software platforms allowing businesses globally to buy subscriptions to domain names, used for their own websites and email, as well as for protecting their brands online. Its core growth strategy is identifying and acquiring cash-generative businesses in its industry with annuity revenue streams and exposure to growth markets and migrating them onto the CentralNic software and operating platforms.

CentralNic operates globally with customers in almost every country in the world. It earns recurring revenues from the worldwide sales of internet domain names and other services on an annual subscription basis.