Mark Dearden Named Chief Executive Officer of Specac, Ltd

ORPINGTON, England, July 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Specac, Ltd ("Specac"), a global leader in the design and manufacture of spectroscopy accessories and sample prep solutions and an Ampersand Capital Partners ("Ampersand") portfolio company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Dearden to its Board of Directors as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective July 1, 2024.

Mr. Dearden is a seasoned international executive with over 30 years of experience in the life sciences industry dedicated to scientific innovation and impactful outcomes. Upon joining the LGC Group in 2011, Mr. Dearden served as Vice President of Strategy and Marketing for the Genomics Division before being appointed its Managing Director in July 2020. Prior to LGC, Mr. Dearden held various international leadership positions in general management, marketing, product management, and sales with leading life sciences companies such as Amersham Biosciences, GE Healthcare and Thermo Electron. Mr. Dearden holds a Bachelor of Science with Honors from the University of Sydney and an MBA from Warwick Business School.

Upon his appointment as CEO, Mr. Dearden commented, "I am honored and thrilled to have the privilege of leading the teams at Specac and its recently acquired Harrick division. I believe the combined company has tremendous opportunities to build on its strong product portfolio, global distribution reach and loyal customer base. I look forward to leading the company through its next phase of growth by leveraging these strengths and accelerating product innovation."

Dave Patteson, an Ampersand Partner, added, "Mark brings substantial, global experience from the pharmaceutical, diagnostics and applied research market sectors. As a seasoned executive, we are excited about the contributions Mark will make as CEO to lead Specac's ambitious growth strategy and drive value creation for all its stakeholders."

About Specac, Ltd.

Specac and its Harrick division design and manufacture Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) accessories, Sample Preparation/XRF, Process Cells, and IR polarizer products for atomic and molecular spectroscopy. These products include ATR accessories, specular reflectance accessories, diffuse reflectance accessories, liquid transmission and gas transmission cells, as well as infrared and terahertz wire grid polarizers, bench-top hydraulic presses, KBr pellet presses, XRF pellet presses, thin film-making kits and evacuable pellet dies. For online optical spectroscopy or FTIR analysis, Specac offers a comprehensive range of NIR Process Cells suitable for liquid and gas/vapor analysis. Learn more at specac.com.

About Ampersand Capital Partners

Ampersand Capital Partners, founded in 1988, is a middle-market private equity firm with $3 billion of assets under management, dedicated to growth-oriented investments in the healthcare sector. With offices in Boston, MA, and Amsterdam, Netherlands, Ampersand leverages a unique blend of private equity and operating experience to build value and drive long-term performance alongside its portfolio company management teams. Ampersand has helped build numerous market-leading companies across each of the firm's core healthcare sectors. For additional information, visit www.ampersandcapital.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

SOURCE Specac, Ltd