Pharmaceutical Executive Joins Mesoblast Limited (MSB.AX) As Chief Financial Officer

NEW YORK and MELBOURNE, Australia, Aug. 24, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mesoblast Limited (ASX: MSB; USOTC: MBLTY) today announced the appointment of pharmaceutical executive Mr Paul Hodgkinson as Mesoblast Chief Financial Officer.

Mr Hodgkinson has broad and high-level international pharmaceutical experience in all aspects of finance, strategic planning, business development and licensing, manufacturing and supply chain, and procurement. From 2011 to 2014, Mr Hodgkinson was Chief Financial Officer and had full financial responsibility for the Novartis ANZ Group of companies and divisions comprising Pharmaceuticals, Alcon, Sandoz, Vaccines and Diagnostics, Consumer and Animal Health. Previously, he held a number of leadership roles with AstraZeneca in the United Kingdom, including Global Licensing Finance Director, before being appointed Chief Financial Officer for AstraZeneca Australia from 2006 to 2011.

After seven years in Mesoblast's executive team as Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary, Ms Jenni Pilcher will depart on 31 August to take up a new role with an Australian biotechnology company as Chief Financial Officer. The Mesoblast Board and management thank Ms Pilcher for her important contribution to the growth of the company and wish her well in her new position.

Mesoblast Limited

Mesoblast Limited (ASX: MSB; USOTC: MBLTY) is a world leader in the development of biologic products for the broad field of regenerative medicine. The Company's proprietary technologies include its highly purified, immunoselected Stro-1/Stro-3 positive Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (MPCs), culture-expanded Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSCs), and expanded Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs). Mesoblast's protein technologies are based on factors derived from its proprietary cellular platforms, including Stromal Derived Factor-1 (SDF-1). Mesoblast's allogeneic or 'off-the-shelf' regenerative medicine products are being developed for the treatment of conditions with significant unmet medical needs. Product development focus is in four major and distinct areas - systemic diseases with an underlying inflammatory and immunologic etiology; cardiac and vascular diseases; orthopedic diseases of the spine; and improving outcomes of bone marrow transplantation associated with oncology or genetic conditions. www.mesoblast.com

CONTACT: Julie Meldrum Global Head of Corporate Communications Mesoblast Limited T: +61 (0) 3 9639 6036 E: [email protected]