Wood County native Alan Hirzel has been named the new chief executive officer of a British firm.
Abcam PLC, a global leader in the supply of life science research tools, announced earlier this month the
appointment of Hirzel to succeed Jonathan Milner as the CEO.
Hirzel has spent the last year as chief marketing officer of Abcam and he has served on the board since
January 2014. In his former role he had responsibility for the company’s branding, product portfolio and
online consumer offering, and worked closely with Milner to develop Abcam’s strategic vision.
Officials indicated Abcam is already seeing results of his efforts by achieving internal milestones and
delivering incremental revenue growth.
Speaking of Hirzel, a press release reads that Hirzel "brings an impressive combination of a strong
scientific background, global business and leadership experience, and consumer knowledge."
Other changes in the company include Milner, a co-founder of the company, retaining an active role in the
company as deputy chairman.
Commenting on the management changes, Murray Hennessy, chairman designate, Abcam said, "Through the
innovative business model which Jonathan established and developed, Abcam has grown to have nearly 750
employees globally, with our newest office in Shanghai opening earlier this year.  Jonathan and Alan
have forged a close working relationship and share a strategic vision for Abcam’s future. Alan will take
over the leadership of the company, with Jonathan remaining involved in helping to identify and
capitalise on important technological developments in the market and business development opportunities.

"Abcam continues to grow and is now entering the next phase of its development.  The Board felt that
Alan, with his keen focus on the customer and significant global business experience, was the ideal
candidate to lead the company through this.  The results we are announcing today clearly demonstrate
Alan’s contribution so far and we are excited about our future prospects."
"I am delighted to be taking on the role of chief executive officer of Abcam, at such an exciting
point in its growth," Hirzel wrote. "Jonathan and the Abcam team have built a fantastic
company over the last 16 years, and I am privileged to now take the helm.
Continuing, "I am driven by our mission to help life science researchers discover more, and am
looking forward to continuing to implement our strategy of driving growth by placing the customer at the
heart of the business – a strategy that is already delivering results."   
Abcam plc, headquartered in in Cambridge, UK,  is a leading provider of protein research tools and
services, with a wide range of products and expert technical support, enabling scientists to analyze
living cells at the molecular level and improving the understanding of health and disease.
Abcam has eight global subsidiary offices with sales to more than 100 countries.
To find out more, please visit www.abcam.com