Mereo BioPharma appoints Richard CM Jones CFO

Mereo BioPharma has appointed former investment banker Richard CM Jones as chief financial officer and will join the AIM-listed company early next year.

Jones, a qualified chartered accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, is CFO and company secretary of Shield Therapeutics, where he was initially appointed as a non-executive director in 2010 before moving to his current position in 2011 where he lead the company to float on AIM.

He has previously worked in investment banking, holding positions at Investec and Brewin Dolphin Securities, where he advised healthcare clients on initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and fundraising.

Chief executive Dr Denise Scots-Knight said: “His extensive financial experience in the healthcare industry, initially as an investment banker in the sector and more recently as CFO of Shield Therapeutics, complements that of the other members of Mereo's executive team.

“Following our positive debut as a listed company, the board is confident that Richard will make a valuable and significant contribution to Mereo's future success."

Shares in Mereo BioPharma were down 1.35% to 284.60p at 0802 GMT.