New Chairman For Abano Healthcare Group

Media Release 29 September 2011

New Chairman For Abano Healthcare Group

Abano Healthcare Group has advised that the Board will appoint Trevor Janes to the position of chairman at the close of the company’s annual meeting on 7 November 2011, following a decision by Alison Paterson to step down from that role.

Under the company’s constitution, Alison Paterson is due to retire next year, at the 2012 annual meeting. She has advised the Board that she will not be seeking re-election at that time. To facilitate an orderly transition, Alison will remain as an independent director on the Board until the 2012 annual meeting.

Alison has been a member of the Abano Board since 2002 and chairman since 2006. During this time, the company divested its aged care business and entered into radiology, orthotics, dental and audiology, expanding into Australia with dental and audiology and SE Asia with audiology.

The company defended two hostile takeover bids and, following the sale of ElderCare in 2005 and Bay Audiology in New Zealand in 2009, it has returned $66.7 million in capital to shareholders over that time. Abano also won the Top 200 Best Growth Strategy in 2008 and was awarded Company of The Year in 2009, and in 2010, Alison was honoured as Chairman of the Year.

The incoming chairman, Trevor Janes, has been a director of Abano since September 2005, has chaired the Audit and Risk committee since 2006 and has been deputy chairman since 2008. He is an experienced independent director, currently holding a number of other Board positions including independent director of Procare Health Ltd, deputy chairman of Mighty River Power and chairman of the Public Trust.

ENDS

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