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Creo Medical Limited

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FY2018 Annual Report · Creo Medical Limited
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CREO
MEDICAL

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
WITH THE RIGHT APPROACH

Report and Accounts 2018

Creo Medical is a medical device company focused on the emerging field of 
surgical endoscopy, enabling clinical procedures to be performed minimally 
and non-invasively.

OUR VISION

To develop and commercialise a suite of electrosurgical  
medical devices based on our groundbreaking 
CROMA Advanced Energy platform.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

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Page Title at start:Content Section at start:REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018Content Section at start:

Page Title at start:

Strategic Report

Highlights

22

STRATEGIC REPORT

HIGHLIGHTS

FDA clearance received for Creo’s Speedboat device and CROMA Advanced Energy platform.
–
Patients treated in multiple countries using Speedboat in both upper and lower GI procedures.
–
Creo’s Clinical Education Programme is now clearly defined and repeatable, enabling physicians  
to be trained in the use of Speedboat.
–
New framework distribution agreements entered into covering a number of European markets along 
with the UK and South Africa to complement existing distribution agreement with PENTAX Medical for 
the Asia-Pacific region.
–
Strengthened balance sheet following the successful raise of an additional £48.5m (before expenses) 
through a significantly oversubscribed share placing.

Strategic Report

Highlights 

The Rapid Rise of Endoscopy 

CROMA Advanced Energy Platform 

Value Proposition 

Chairman’s Statement 

Chief Executive’s Review 

Our Market Opportunity 

Clinical Education Programme 

Clinical Development 

The Horizon Group 

Chief Technology Officer’s Statement 

Immediate Product Roadmap 

Medium-Term Product Roadmap 

Innovation in our IP and our Collaboration 
– the Long-Term Roadmap 

Our Business Model 

Operational Strategy Execution 

Commercial Strategy 

Our People 

Principal Risks and Uncertainties 

Financial Review 

2

5

8

10

12

14

16

18

19

20

22

23

24

25

26

28

30

32

34

42

Governance

Board of Directors 

Directors’ Report 

Directors’ Responsibilities 

Corporate Governance Report 

Directors’ Remuneration Report (unaudited) 

Financial Statements

Independent Auditor’s Report 

Consolidated Statement of Profit and Loss 
and Other Comprehensive Income 

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position 

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity 

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows 

Notes to the Financial Statements 

Parent Company Statement of Financial Position 

Parent Company Statement of Changes in Equity 

46

48

49

50

54

58

62

62

63

63

64

78

79

Notes to the Parent Company Financial Statements  79

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

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Page Title at start:Content Section at start:REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 20184

STRATEGIC REPORT

TRANSFORMING SURGERY

 Creo Medical is at the forefront of a paradigm shift in surgical endoscopy  
– the new frontier of minimally invasive surgery. 

In the same way that laparoscopic techniques revolutionised procedures that previously  
were only feasible with open surgery (with large incisions and the associated risks and 
recovery time), surgical endoscopy has the potential to transform surgery. 

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:The Rapid Rise of Endoscopy

THE RAPID RISE OF ENDOSCOPY

$3-4BN GI ENDOSCOPIC 
INSTRUMENT ADDRESSABLE 
MARKET2,3
With minimal competition.

PARADIGM SHIFT

Advances in single-port laparoscopy, 
robotic surgery, natural orifice 
transluminal endoscopic surgery 
& flexible endoluminal endoscopy 
herald a new era of healthcare.

2010-2025

$7BN LAPAROSCOPIC 
INSTRUMENT MARKET1
Centred around Johnson  
& Johnson, Medtronic 
and Olympus/Gyrus.

GOLDEN ERA

Open surgery remains 
as standard of care but 
availability of fibreoptic and 
CCD endoscopes leads 
to development of early 
endoscopic devices.

1970-1990

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

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OPEN SURGERY
1800-1970

SURGICAL MILESTONE

Keyhole/laparoscopic surgery 
overtakes open surgery, accounting 
for 75% of all procedures.

1990-2010

1.  Medtronic investor presentation, June 2016
2.  Boston Scientific investor presentation, 2015
3.  Conmed investor presentation, August 2016

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 201866

STRATEGIC REPORT

TRANSFORMING OUTCOMES

Surgical endoscopy allows treatment to be moved from the operating theatre to the 
outpatient endoscopy suite, bringing reduced risk, removal of the need for general 
anaesthetic, shorter procedures, reduced hospital stays and faster recovery times, 
correspondingly lower costs and significantly improved outcomes.

It’s a game changer for patients, physicians and healthcare providers.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:“A patient, 71 years old, came through the routine Bowel 
Cancer Screening programme at East Kent Hospitals 
University NHS Foundation Trust. The index colonoscopy 
confirmed a daunting 7cm lesion in the distal sigmoid, 
which traditionally would be treated with surgical 
colectomy. After a multi-disciplinary meeting, it was 
decided to perform an endoscopic excision, where 
Creo’s Advanced Energy platform and Speedboat device 
were used. It was a seamless and complete dissection of 
the lesion, performed under conscious sedation in 1 hour 
and 20 minutes. The patient was discharged 2 hours 
following the procedure. No immediate or delayed 
complications were noted. 

A repeat colonoscopy revealed no recurrence, indicating 
a complete eradication of the lesion.” 

Dr. Zacharias Tsiamoulos

“Following the introduction of Speedboat in East Kent 
Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, we have 
been really pleased with the results for both our patients 
and our service. With the development of this service we 
are now able to offer patients treatment closer to 
home… the use of Speedboat enables us to offer 
patients treatment in the endoscopy setting and we are 
keen to expand this service using this device.”

Lisa Neal, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

“I am sure that what has happened to me has saved 
my life and I urge anyone who gets [a home screening 
test] through the post to do the test, it might just save 
your life.”

Patient

CROMA Advanced Energy 

Platform

88
88

CROMA ADVANCED ENERGY 
PLATFORM

Matched energy and device performance, 
ultimately providing a toolbox of integrated, 
energy-optimised devices.

Game changing technology

Dissection & Resection
—
Haemostasis
—
Ablation

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:Physician benefits

—

Enhanced patient outcomes

—

Healthcare provider efficiencies

Our strategy is to bring the CROMA Advanced Energy 
platform to the flexible endoscopy market through a suite of 
electrosurgical instruments designed to cut, coagulate and 
ablate tissue.

Long term, we see opportunities to exploit our extensive 
portfolio of intellectual property via our CROMA Advanced 
Energy platform.

“Your device is like a harmonic scalpel at the end of a 
scope, this is the holy grail of therapeutic endoscopy!”
Rob Hawes M.D.
Florida Hospital, Orlando, US

“Speedboat RS2 would transform my repertoire.”
Mr Mike Williamson
Endoscopist, RUH, Bath

APPLICATIONS
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

APPLICATIONS
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Growing incidence of GI indications
• Poor diet, obesity, sedentary lifestyles and an aging population  

are leading to an increased prevalence of GI conditions.

Growing demand for screening
• Western governments and health organisations continue to  
expand endoscopic screening programmes, which is driving  
an increase in detection of a range of conditions requiring the 
resection or biopsy of tissue and the control of bleeding.

16m screening colonoscopies are performed 

per annum in the US1

1.1m find a lesion requiring treatment2
c.50% of those lesions are removed surgically1

Compelling improvements vs. current options
• Current treatment is open or laparoscopic surgery, requiring up  
to 5-day hospital stays and with a mortality rate of up to 6% at  
30 days3. 

• Advanced therapeutic endoscopy allows procedures to be 

performed in outpatient clinics and the risk of complications 
and mortality are also reduced.

We are developing a range of devices to cover both upper and 
lower GI procedures.

1.  US surgical procedures volumes 2010, Millennium Research, RPUS435SV10, Feb 2010.
2.  Gastrointest Endosc 2014; 80-133-43.
3.  Ann R Coll Surg Engi 2011; 96: 445-450.

APPLICATIONS
Endoscopic accessible soft tissue ablation

APPLICATIONS
Endoscopic accessible soft tissue ablation

Demand for new therapies:
• The GI tract allows access to close-by organs (for example, liver, 
pancreas and kidney). Cancers of these organs are among the 
highest causes of cancer-related deaths and are characterised by 
limited effective treatments and poor rates of survival.

Indications:
• Liver cancer combines high incidence and high mortality – it is the 
4th biggest cause of cancer death worldwide, with 780,000 deaths 
annually and has the second highest mortality rate (93%)1.

• Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate (94%) of all major 
cancers1. It is expected to become the second largest cause of 
cancer-related deaths around 2020 in the USA2 where it has a 5-year 
survival rate of 9%3 (7% in the UK4).

• Prevalence of incidental pancreatic cysts has been shown in studies 

to be c.9%5. Precancerous or cancerous potential of cysts is 
estimated to be 2%6. With a European and North American 
population of c.1.1bn, this could imply c.2m people with a potentially 
cancerous pancreatic cyst.

• Kidney cancer is increasing at one of the highest rates globally (est. 
22% growth 2014-20207) with over 400,000 incidences per year1.

780,000 deaths annually from liver cancer1
94% mortality rate for pancreatic cancers1

Therapeutic Endoscopy using an Endoscopic Ultrasound Scan 
combined with Creo’s flexible microwave ablation probe could provide 
an alternative way to ablate soft tissue tumours and treat patients for 
whom there may be limited options for surgical intervention. 
Creo’s flexible microwave ablation probe is intended to navigate 
the GI tract to access adjacent organs using a fine gauge needle 
antenna, managing tumours and extending patient survival.

1.  WHO, IARC Cancer Today Online Analysis 2018.
2.   Lola Rahib, Benjamin D. Smith, Rhonda Aizenberg, Allison B. Rosenzweig, Julie M. Fleshman and  

Lynn M. Matrisian. Projecting Cancer Incidence and Deaths to 2030: The Unexpected Burden of Thyroid,  
Liver, and Pancreas Cancers in the United States. DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-14-0155 Published June 2014.

3.  American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2019.
4.  Pancreatic Cancer UK fact sheet. 
5.   Oliveira PBd, Puchnick A, Szejnfeld J, Goldman SM (2015). Prevalence of Incidental Pancreatic Cysts on 3 Tesla Magnetic 

Resonance. PLoS ONE 10(3): e0121317. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0121317.

6.  https://www.roswellpark.org/cancertalk/201711/do-pancreatic-cysts-become-cancerous
7.  European Association of Urology, Scientific & Policy Briefing on Kidney Cancer.

APPLICATIONS
Bronchoscopic accessible ablation 

APPLICATIONS 
Bronchoscopic accessible ablation 

Demand for new therapies

There are 1.8m global cases of lung cancer each year1
85% of patients are inoperable2, leaving radiotherapy 

and chemotherapy the only treatment options

17% five-year survival rate3

• Therapeutic bronchoscopy allows treatment of pre-cancerous 
nodules in the lung as a first-line option, as well as treatment of 
patients not eligible for surgery.

• Lung cancer is not yet routinely screened for, however recent 

consolidation in the sector indicates investment and improvements 
in diagnostic accuracy.

• Population-based screening will become a part of life  

in the near future, resulting in earlier stage disease diagnosis.

• Earlier diagnosis requires less invasive and more precise  

treatment options. 

• These requirements ideally suit the key features of the CROMA 
Advanced Energy platform and tiny non-cooled flexible ablation 
devices.

• Creo’s lung probe is intended to be able to navigate to, see and  
treat lesions deep in the lung, ablating lesions safely without  
the complications associated with percutaneous ablation.

1.  WHO, IARC Cancer Today Online Analysis 2018.
2.  US surgical procedures volumes 2010, Millennium Research, RPUS435SV10, Feb 2010.
3.  Gastrointest Endosc 2014; 80-133-43.

DEVICES
A toolbox of integrated,  
energy-optimised devices.

KEY BENEFITS

GLOBAL MARKET POTENTIAL

  …for physicians

  Precise, optimised cutting and predictable tissue effect

  Flexibility through ability to use devices in surgery,  
endoscopy and in flexible vessel sealing applications

  Fast set-up, reducing the need to swap devices

 …for patients

  Improved outcomes through less invasive procedures 

  Reduced risk of thermal damage to adjacent tissue

  Reduced time in hospital

 …for healthcare providers

  Reduced cost of procedures

  Frees up resources

  Reduced bed-stays

  Higher patient throughput

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

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Global endoscopic market by segment ($bn)1

Laparoscopy

GI 
endoscopy

Urology 
endoscopy

Arthroscopy

Bronchoscopy 
& ENT

Gynaecology 
endoscopy

Other

$12.0

$10.0

$8.0

$6.0

$4.0

$2.0

$0

1 GI Endoscopy
•  Limited innovation in 

2 Bronchoscopy
•  Growth driven by 

screening

•  No interventional 
options available
•  Demand for new 

therapies 

recent years

•  Growing volume of 

interventional 
techniques

•  Upper and lower GI 
either within the 
gastrointestinal tract 
or accessing close-by 
organs

•  $3-4bn addressable 
instrument market2,3
•  4-6% annual growth2

Long-term  
opportunities
•  Other endoscopic 

markets

•  Laparoscopy $8bn 

addressable 
instrument market 4
•  Non-thermal plasma
•  Endoscopic 
sterilisation
•  Wound care

1.   Data presented is total segment value – including imaging & devices;  
“Endoscopy Devices: Applications And Global Markets” (HLC093A), 
BCC Research, 2011.

2.  Boston Scientific investor presentation, 2015.
3.  Conmed investor presentation, August 2016.
4.  Medtronic investor presentation, June 2016.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018 
Value Proposition

1010

STRATEGIC REPORT

VALUE PROPOSITION

Our strong portfolio of IP coupled with deep in-house expertise and partnerships with 
trusted third parties create a powerful combination to make a life changing difference.

CROMA Advanced Energy platform 
with compelling benefits
Our patented CROMA Advanced Energy  
platform delivers microwave and bipolar 
radiofrequency energy through a single 
accessory port, delivering precise cut, 
coagulation and ablation for a range of 
electrosurgical devices bringing  
advantages in time, costs and outcomes.

Rich product pipeline and strong IP
We have a promising pipeline of products,
from early concept development to in-human
use, supported by an IP portfolio of 79 patent
families, comprising 135 granted patents
and 431 pending applications as at
31 December 2018.

Experienced team
Our management team is drawn from the 
surgical instrumentation and technology market 
and has experience spanning R&D, quality, 
regulatory approval and commercialisation. 

Read about our CROMA Advanced Energy platform  
on page 8.

Read about our products and pipeline 
 on pages 23 and 24.

Read about our people on page 32.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:Market potential
Our devices are designed to enhance existing 
techniques and provide effective new curative 
therapies in high value segments of large and 
growing global markets. Healthcare providers 
are expanding screening programs,
driving increasing early stage detection rates  
for a range of conditions requiring tissue 
management and the control of bleeding.

Scalable business model
Our pioneering CROMA Advanced Energy 
platform is designed to be scaled via the 
razorblade model with a suite of single-use 
devices that deliver superior outcomes for 
physicians and patients. Our model – from R&D, 
through manufacture and sales & distribution 
– is designed to be resilient and scalable.

Clear commercialisation strategy
We are pursuing a defined roadmap towards 
the launch of a suite of devices, initially focused 
on GI applications. We begin by building 
advocacy with Key Opinion Leaders, driving 
penetration through our Clinical Education 
Programme and the subsequent breadth of 
usage through stimulating increased generator 
utilisation and expanding into adjacent markets.

Framework distribution agreements with 
respected partners give us a route to market  
in multiple countries around the world.

Read about our market opportunity on page 16.

Read about our business model on page 26.

Read about our commercial strategy on page 30.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

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Page Title at start:Content Section at start:REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018Chairman’s Statement

1212

STRATEGIC REPORT

Chairman’s Statement

Strengthened business, strengthened balance sheet and strong governance.

Overview
The 18 months ended 31 December 2018 have been a 
remarkable period for Creo. Our Speedboat device has been 
used with our CROMA Advanced Energy platform to remove 
lesions from the gastrointestinal tracts of multiple patients 
with no reported complications. Typically, instead of having  
to undergo surgery under general anaesthetic, these patients 
needed only mild sedation and were treated as day patients. 

Clinicians from around the world are now interested in using 
our surgical solutions. We have put in place framework 
distribution agreements with recognised leaders in 
endoscopic devices in countries spanning the EU, Asia-
Pacific and South Africa. By rolling out the Creo Clinical 
Education Programme, our partners will be leveraging their 
resources and strong relationships to encourage adoption  
of our platform.

Strengthened balance sheet
In August 2018, we completed an issue of new shares at  
125 pence per share to raise £48.5 million before expenses. 
The placing, which was significantly oversubscribed, followed 
our IPO on AIM in December 2016 which raised £20 million 
before expenses at 76 pence per share. It has substantially 
strengthened Creo’s balance sheet and given us the 
confidence to continue to accelerate physician training and 
the commercial rollout of our products internationally over  
the next few years.

The subscribers to the placing include leading institutional 
and specialist investors that complement our existing 
shareholder base. We welcome these new joiners to the 
register and thank all our shareholders for their continuing 
support for our strategic vision. 

Charles Spicer
Chairman

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:Our people and culture
During the period we continued to recruit talented and 
experienced individuals across all business functions to 
bolster Creo’s expertise and capacity for growth. We now 
employ more than 50 people, who work in a creative, 
innovative and driven environment, with a shared goal of 
improving clinical outcomes and changing patients’ lives. 

As we move into the next stage of our strategic development, 
our management team and staff now have a clearly-defined 
three-pronged strategy. Our R&D team are focusing on 
turning projects into products by developing our growing 
proprietary intellectual property into a widening range of 
medical devices. Our commercial colleagues are driving 
clinical adoption by supporting recent trainees as they 
transition into confident and frequent users of our products. 
Finally, all the relevant departments and suppliers are 
supporting the evolution of our current small-scale 
production into a manufacturing capability appropriate  
for our growing product range and rising demand from 
multiple markets. 

Board and governance
At the IPO we set up Board and governance structures 
suitable for a fast-growing, AIM-quoted company. Our three 
Executive Directors are supported by three experienced 
Non-Executive Directors with a breadth of experience in  
the medical technology sector, finance and governance.

Given Creo’s growth over the last 18 months and the future 
prospects of the business, the Board continues to review its 
structure, governance and procedures to ensure that the 
business is well placed to take advantage of the opportunities 
that lie ahead.

Outlook
With physicians being successfully trained on the CROMA 
Advanced Energy platform and Speedboat device,  
a substantially strengthened balance sheet, a clear strategy 
and a skilled and motivated management team and staff, 
Creo has a solid platform for growth and the Board looks 
forward with confidence to exciting opportunities for the 
Company in 2019 and beyond.

As the business grows, we are putting in place clear goals, 
targets and appropriate incentives to continue this evolution 
from earlier stage innovator into a fully functioning global 
MedTech company.

The Board would like to thank the Creo team, along with  
our physicians and their patients, our customers, suppliers, 
shareholders and other partners for all their hard work, 
positive contributions and support during the period. 

Charles Spicer
Chairman

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

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Page Title at start:Content Section at start:REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018Chief Executive’s Review

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1414

STRATEGIC REPORT

Chief Executive’s Review

I am delighted to report on 18 months of exceptional progress, which saw significant advances across the 
business. We set ourselves ambitious challenges and have worked hard to put in place the structures, approvals 
and partnerships we need to commercialise our ground-breaking CROMA Advanced Energy platform,  
the Speedboat device and make great strides towards the launch of the next devices on our roadmap.

We are also very pleased with the progress of our immediate 
product roadmap, with significant development progress 
allowing Creo to achieve design freeze in its initial suite of 
devices. These devices are the range we intend to initially 
launch in the gastrointestinal field, covering haemostasis, 
resection and ablation of soft tissue for therapeutic 
endoscopists. With the input from Creo’s Horizon Group of 
Key Opinion Leaders (please see page 20 for further details of 
Creo’s Horizon Group), the original concept devices have 
developed into device designs which we expect to have 
better performance over that anticipated at the beginning of 
the programme.

Growing base of users and clinical data
Possibly the most rewarding aspect has been the first cohort 
of human patients, with the first patient treated as part of 
Creo’s Clinical Education Programme outside our academic 
development centre being a cancer patient, treated under 
sedation. Being a cancer, we almost certainly helped save  
this patient’s life.

Equally significant is the continuation of our Clinical Education 
Programme which has seen us train and subsequently enable 
physicians in multiple markets carry out their first cases using 
Speedboat, all without any reported adverse events. This has 
been facilitated through a thorough program of development 
which has now become a repeatable and predictable Clinical 
Education Programme. Creo’s Clinical Education Programme 
has trained over 60 physicians, and has a healthy backlog of 
trainees for Creo to focus on together with distribution 
partners as these physicians become the trainers of the future 
for our distribution partners.

Our Clinical Education Programme has culminated in the 
delivery of three live cases over three sites in Europe, with 
over 40 visiting doctors watching the cases live. We are 
excited by the prospect of building on this with increasing 
publication material over the coming years as we transition 
into a fully-fledged commercial business.

Market-leading distribution partners
One principal objective for the team during the reporting 
period was to hone Creo’s business development. In parallel 
with our work to establish and characterise the Clinical 
Education Programme, we have accelerated the establishment 
of a scalable route to market by entering into framework 
distribution agreements with leading distributors to work with 
Creo as they develop clinical training and commence market 
seeding in multiple territories in Europe and in South Africa. 
By working with leading distributors of endoscopy and GI 
devices, we can leverage their existing infrastructure and 
relationships to drive adoption of our solutions. 

Having initially entered an agreement with HOYA Group, 
PENTAX Medical in 2016 for the distribution of products, we 
have now agreed the initial phase of this regional distribution 
across the Asia-Pacific territory in which PENTAX Medical  
will establish Creo’s Clinical Education Programme and 
subsequently seed the market. The agreement also includes  
a commitment to roll out to other territories in the region. It is 
gratifying that our distribution partners see such potential in 
our products and are prepared to invest significant resources 
and effort to seed their respective markets.

Craig Gulliford 
Chief Executive Officer

Advancing applications for regulatory approval
Our 3-year plan at IPO was simple: in year 1 we aimed  
to deliver initial regulatory clearance for the first product;  
in year 2 our aim was to deliver initial clinical results; and in 
year 3 our aim was to initiate the commercial launch of a  
suite of devices powered by our CROMA Advanced  
Energy platform.

During the reporting period we have built on our first year of 
progress. We were delighted to achieve regulatory clearance 
for our CROMA Advanced Energy platform and Speedboat 
device at the start of the reporting period; a core objective 
for 2018.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:Market dynamics
Although there are ongoing advances in screening 
techniques to identify tumours, many that are identified 
currently cannot be treated without subsequent surgical 
intervention – if at all. This presents a significant opportunity 
for endoscopic surgery. The economic benefits and reduced 
risks to patients provide further compelling reasons for 
adopting minimally invasive surgical procedures.

It was great to receive the level of interest and support from 
both existing and new investors when we approached the 
market in 2018 for the next phase in our capital raising 
programme. Through an oversubscribed share placing  
we raised a gross amount of £48.5 million, which  
will allow us to build the business and potentially expand  
our horizons as we consider how we develop the team,  
our distribution network and product portfolio.

Generally, the indications for which our devices are intended 
to treat are all seeing signs of increased volumes of screening 
or the beginnings of screening programs where they have 
generally not been possible before. The UK is set to lower the 
screening age for bowel cancer from 60 to 50, as is already 
practised in the US. The American Cancer Society recently 
called for colorectal cancer screening to begin at age 45,  
not 50, in response to a greater incidence among a younger 
demographic. In contrast, rates of colorectal cancer have 
declined among people aged over 54 over the past 20 years, 
since the introduction of population-based colorectal 
screening programs for the over 55s. 

Areas of application for our ablation products, in particular 
lung cancer, are seeing the initial introduction of screening 
where it has not been possible before. This is principally 
down to improvements in diagnostic capability which, as with 
colorectal cancer, is diagnosing disease at an earlier (and 
smaller) stage in its progression requiring minimally invasive 
ablation solutions, ideally suited to the CROMA Advanced 
Energy platform.

Successful fund raise
Building Creo into a major medical device business with 
multiple devices targeting indications in multiple areas of 
therapy, all powered by a common platform, clearly requires 
capital. We always anticipated a fundraising exercise during 
the course of this period and gaining access to the capital 
required was one of the attractions of the IPO. 

A talented team and can-do culture
As the business evolves we have continued to build and 
develop our team, recruiting key people across engineering, 
manufacturing and sales to ensure we have the structure in 
place to grow. As a listed group operating in health care, 
clearly there is a need to comply with regulatory requirements. 
While we of course do all that we need to do in that regard, 
we make great efforts not to impinge on our culture of 
creativity and openness. 

With over 50 employees we are still small in terms of 
headcount. We are proud of our ‘can-do’ mentality and sense 
of togetherness fostered in our weekly all hands meeting and 
innovation meetings that invite contributions from team 
members of all functions and levels of experience.

In terms of operating responsibly, we are mindful of everything 
we do. Earlier this year we formalised our values, centred 
around making a life changing difference, being sustainable 
and profitable, creating a positive and innovative working 
environment and being an employer of choice. Our business  
is built upon solutions that can change patients’ lives for  
the better. Having worked so hard on the initial regulatory 
clearance with Speedboat, it is hugely satisfying for the whole 
team, new and old, to know that we have already made a huge 
impact on patients’ lives. That is a great reason to come to 
work in the mornings, and to target our resources (and those  
of our partners) as efficiently as we can to bring our solutions 
to market in a timely and effective manner.

Promising outlook
We don’t underestimate the challenge of changing the 
structures required to roll out our system, nor of gaining 
regulatory clearance for the other devices in the pipeline. 
However, the reaction of clinicians to seeing the product being 
used speak for themselves. Similarly, our distribution partners 
are keen to grow Creo’s Clinical Education Programme in 
multiple territories and seed their respective markets in advance 
of full commercialisation. These factors, along with our 
strengthened internal team and the response to our recent 
round of fundraising, give us confidence that the next year  
and beyond will see Creo making a life-changing difference  
to patients around the world.

As we gear up for the year ahead and the longer term, we 
remain humble and focused on core principles of execution 
and mindful that execution with diligence and care is  
of primary importance. Our long-term success will be 
determined by our principal focus in the year ahead which 
centres around transforming our trainees into power users 
(the trainers of the future), transforming our in-house 
production into manufacturing with scale and to continue to 
convert our development projects into great products to 
change further lives. 

As a team we are well set to deliver on this exciting challenge.

Craig Gulliford
Chief Executive Officer

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

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Page Title at start:Content Section at start:REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018Our Market Opportunity

1616

STRATEGIC REPORT

Our Market Opportunity

Our solutions will enable transformational procedures that blur the lines between  
surgery and endoscopy, addressing unmet needs in large and growing applications.

What is electroscopic surgery?
Electrosurgery is the application of electrical current to 
biological tissue as a means to cut, coagulate and ablate. 
Electrosurgical devices were first commercialised in the 1920s 
for use in open surgical applications. Over time, advancing 
technology drove innovation into laparoscopy (i.e. keyhole 
surgery), a field in which there are now a considerable number 
of devices. In contrast, therapeutic endoscopy or endoscopic 
surgery has comparably few surgical tools available.

Endoscopes are effective screening and diagnostic instruments 
that allow physicians to visualise the internal structures of 
organs such as the gastrointestinal tract, lungs and bladder  
via naturally occurring orifices. Endoscopes are not equipped  
to perform a surgical intervention in most situations. Insertion  
of the endoscope is surgically non-invasive, avoiding the need  
for surgical incisions, which, however small, increase the risk  
to the patient and increase the cost of the procedure.

Endoscope diameter is limited by the size of the entry orifice.  
For example, a colonoscope will typically be 12mm in diameter, 
while an orally inserted gastroscope will typically have a 
diameter of 10mm. Within these confines the endoscope must 
carry a video camera lens, light source, air/water/suction 
channel and guide wires to control the insertion. There is very 
limited space left in an endoscope for instruments, although all 
endoscopes have a working instrument channel offering 
approximately 3mm of space through which devices can be 
introduced. As such, and with the limited device options currently 
available, while a patient can be diagnosed endoscopically, 
the majority of interventions still require a minimally invasive 
surgical procedure at best, or open surgery at worse.

A minimally invasive procedure, such as laparoscopy, improves 
on open surgery as it can be performed through a few small 
incisions rather than a single large one. Laparoscopic surgical 

procedures are versatile as multiple instruments can be placed 
at the surgical site through multiple bore insertion tubes  
with short lengths, allowing fast insertion and removal of 
instruments. Our technologies are designed to enable certain 
surgical procedures to be effected through the insertion  
of devices through the working channel of an endoscope, 
circumventing the need to make abdominal incisions with  
the associated general anaesthetic.

Endoscopy has been a rapidly expanding practice due to  
the advent of colorectal cancer screening in most healthcare 
systems. This has driven growth in equipment and devices  
to enhance the ability to screen and detect early stage and 
pre-cancerous lesions in the GI tract.

Why are we targeting particular segments?
There are unmet needs
Advanced therapeutic endoscopy has the potential to reduce 
the risk of complications, with mortality rates improved to 
negligible levels – current mortality rates from upper GI 
bleeding are up to 15%1, and traditional colorectal surgery is 
associated with a 6% mortality rate at 30 days2 because of the 
risks associated with partial or complete removal of the colon 
when using traditional surgical blades. In contrast to the need 
for a long hospital stay, endoscopy procedures can be 
performed in an outpatient clinic.

Despite the rise in incidence rates due to increases in 
underlying causes and through increased screening,  
in comparison to laparoscopy where there are a variety of 
advanced energy devices for a wide range of procedures,  
the endoscopist has very few ‘tools’ to work with. Our Horizon 
Group (please see page 20 for further details) has quantified 
76 specific unmet or underserved clinical needs in the GI 
where advanced energy could be applied.

The markets we address are large 
We focus on significant markets where we can bring products 
to market that serve poorly met needs. Our initial focus is in the 
GI tract, GI tract accessible soft tissue (liver, pancreas, kidney) 
and lung interventions.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide 
and the second leading cause of death with over 880,0003 
related deaths. Obesity, sedentary lifestyles, poor diet and 
aging populations are key drivers, but increasing screening 
programmes, earlier detection and improvements in treatment 
(including at pre-cancerous stages) are reducing incidence and 
mortality particularly in developed countries4.

Soft tissue cancers of the liver and pancreas, whilst lower  
in terms of incidence have the two highest mortality/incidence 
rates, exceeding 90% and jointly account for some 1.3 million 
incidences and 1.2m causes of death3. Both cancers are 
characterised by late stage detection, thereby being mostly 
inoperable (for pancreatic cancer, less than 20% of patients are 
candidates for surgery4) and have very low 5-year survival rates. 

Known as the silent killer, pancreatic cancer is expected to 
become the second leading cause of cancer-related death in 
the United States by 20205 with a current 5-year survival rate of 
9%4. During 2019, more than 56,000 Americans will be 
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and some 45,750 are 
expected to die4. In the UK it is the 5th biggest cancer killer, 
where the survival rate is only 7%6. Approximately three-
quarters of patients die within the first year of diagnosis6.

1.  Annals of Hepatology, Vol. 10 No.3, 2011: 287-295.
2.  Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2011; 93: 445–450.
3.  WHO, IARC Cancer Today Online Analysis 2018.
4.  American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2019.
5.  Lola Rahib, Benjamin D. Smith, Rhonda Aizenberg, Allison B. Rosenzweig,  
Julie M. Fleshman and Lynn M. Matrisian. Projecting Cancer Incidence and 
Deaths to 2030: The Unexpected Burden of Thyroid, Liver, and Pancreas Cancers 
in the United States. DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-14-0155 Published June 2014.

6.  Pancreatic Cancer UK fact sheet. 

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:The incidence of liver cancer is increasing, driven not only by 
poor lifestyles, but also as a result of Hepatitis B (HBV) and 
Hepatitis C (HCV) viruses. Hepatitis cause is more prevalent 
in developing countries, though in the US three-quarters of 
the HCV-infected population are aging baby-boomers (born 
1945-65) for whom recommended testing uptake is low  
(1 in 8)4.

Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide with the 
highest incidence and mortality rates (exceeding 1.7m deaths 
annually)3. There were 46,700 new cases of lung cancer in the 
UK in 2015, three-quarters of which were diagnosed at later 
stages7. There are no nationwide population-based screening 
programmes in the US or UK, although the NELSON Study 
recently recommended that routine screening be introduced 
for high risk patients. Approximately 150,000 screenings in 
the US involve a pulmonary nodule8. 

In cases of lung cancer, 85% of patients are currently inoperable9 
and have to rely on radiotherapy and chemotherapy, with the 
5-year survival rate only 17%10. Surgery involves removal of 
large sections of the lung and even the entire lung. Challenges 
with existing treatment include difficulties with access for 
interventional treatment via bronchoscope, since this is limited 
by the size of the airway (<2mm in the periphery of the lung), 
poor navigation, and safety considerations, as percutaneous 
ablation is associated with skin burns, pain, infection and 
pneumothorax. Technology is developing fast to improve early 
diagnosis, with an end goal of screening for lung cancer.

The addressable markets are large and growing. The global 
market for endoscopic devices is estimated to be worth $30bn, 
and growing at a compound annual growth rate of 6.3%11.  
Within this, the global market for energy systems and instruments 
is valued at $4.9bn12; see Fig 1. In the UK alone, there were 508 
endoscopy units in 2017 and more than 4,000 endoscopists.

In terms of specific applications, the GI endoscopy market, 
which has seen limited innovation in recent years but a 
growing volume of interventional techniques, has an 
addressable market of $3-4bn, and estimated annual average 
growth of 4-6%13-14. For example, in the field of colorectal 
cancer, 16m screening colonoscopies are performed in the US 
per annum, of which 1.1m identify a lesion requiring treatment15, 
of which 50% are surgically removed16. There are moves to 
reduce the screening age in the UK and US, for example,  
as incidence has grown among a younger demographic.

For liver, pancreas and kidney treatment, endoscopically 
delivered fine needle microwave ablation provides minimally 
invasive treatment to manage tumours, and extend and 
improve quality of life where limited alternative surgical 
intervention options exist.

In bronchoscopy, there is demand for new therapies  
and growth is driven by screening, but, as mentioned  
above, no interventional options are currently available.  
Worldwide, there are 1.7m3 cases of lung cancer related 
deaths each year.

Longer-term opportunities include laparoscopy applications, 
with an estimated addressable market of $8bn17.

Drivers of growth in demand for minimally invasive surgery 
include:
•  emerging applications and technological innovations, 
bringing compelling benefits that are recognised by 
patients, clinicians and healthcare providers;

•  aging population and incidence of life-threatening 

diseases;

• 

increasing patient awareness and influence over 
their treatment.

Why do we believe in the market opportunity?
There is a precedent: similar paradigm shifts have previously 
taken place in other fields of medicine. The transition from 
open surgery to laparoscopic surgery from the early 1990s is 
the obvious example. In recent years, advances in single-port 
laparoscopy, robotic surgery, natural orifice transluminal 
endoscopic surgery and flexible endoluminal endoscopy  
have heralded a new era of healthcare.

Thought leaders are advocating our solutions, and 
promoting the ‘Anything is possible with the right approach’ 
mindset to educate and engender confidence among 
endoscopists, blurring the lines between these practitioners 
who have typically specialised in investigative work, and 
surgeons. This is revolutionary: procedures that previously 
took place in the operating room can now be undertaken in 
an endoscopy room, with material advantages in cost, time 
and patient outcomes.

Figure 1: Global market for 
Endoscopic Devices

Capsule endoscopy

HD Systems

Suction / irrigation devices

Other device

Rigid endoscopy

2% 2%

3%

2%

Ultrasonic devices

Flexible endoscopy

Robot assisted 
endoscopy

Assess devices

3%

5%

7%

7%

8%

40%

8%

13%

Instruments

Energy Systems

SD Systems

7.  Cancer Research UK (https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-
professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/lung-
cancer#heading-Zero, accessed March 2019). 

8.  Hiren J. et al. The Utility of Nodule Volume in the Context of Malignancy 
Prediction for Small Pulmonary Nodules. Chest 2014; 145(3)464-472.
9.  Data for England & Wales – National Lung Cancer Audit annual report 
2015 (for the audit period 2014), Royal College of Physicians, 2015.

10.  American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2016. Atlanta: American 

Cancer Society; 2016.

11.  Markets and markets, Dec-15, MD 2212; Stratistics MRC, May-15, MRS 

25447; BCC research, Mar-16, HLC093C; TechNavio, Jun-15, 3280756; TMR, 
Jul-14, 2014 07-02; IQ4I, 2014, 8664243; Occam, Jun-16, HME-2610516.

12.  TMR, Jul-14, 2014-07-02.
13.  Boston Scientific investor presentation, 2015.
14.  Conmed investor presentation, August 2016.
15.  Gastrointest Endosc 2014; 80-133-43.
16.  US surgical procedure volumes 2010, Millennium Research, RPUS43SV10, 

February 2010.

17.  Medtronic investor presentation, June 2016.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

17

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018Clinical Education 

Programme

1818

STRATEGIC REPORT

Clinical Education Programme

Creo Medical’s Clinical Education Programme offers clinicians and their assistants the space, 
tools and expertise to practice the safe and effective use of Creo’s products in addition to 
improving their skills and learning new techniques.

Our education led strategy
Our education led strategy centres around the ‘Creo Medical 
Clinical Education Programme’, a peer-to-peer training 
programme that enables physicians and their assistants  
to learn and share best practice techniques for the safe  
and effective use of Creo Medical’s products.

For the Speedboat device, the programme consists of a fixed 
agenda during an event at a Skills Laboratory comprised of a 
mixture of didactic lectures alongside hands-on, case-oriented 
ex-vivo and in-vivo practical training. Trainees can ordinarily 
expect to complete a minimum of 10 demonstration cases  
over the course of an event.

Initially created for our Speedboat product, our Clinical 
Education Programme will be developed and delivered under 
the direct control of Creo in partnership with our distribution 
partners worldwide. Each market where distribution is in place 
must identify and train leading physicians to a level where they 
can run the Creo Clinical Education Programme within their 
own territories, with appropriate data capture and monitoring 
to allow Creo to maintain the education and learning 
standards we know can be achieved and repeated. This 
network of centres of excellence worldwide naturally provides 
a platform for the introduction of additional GI and other 
devices in the coming years. Feedback from the repeatable 
programme finalised last year recognises our training as being 
the gold standard in the market today. 

Initial training is usually followed up by a tailored mentoring 
programme where the trainer and trainee perform a number  
of human cases together. The safety features of the Speedboat 
device together with the combination of lectures, training and 
mentoring is designed to remove the need for long residential 
placements. The training events also crucially include the 
assistants in attendance who receive combined and separate 
one-to-one assistant led training, which has been found to be  
a key ingredient to success. 

The evolution of the Creo Clinical Education Programme during 
the reporting period has been extremely successful, resulting 
in a consistent, repeatable programme with predictable results. 
On multiple occasions we have had trainees attending  
the programme during a weekend, to then deliver their  
first mentored upper and lower GI cases in clinic on the 
Monday following. 

We exited 2018 on a run rate of over 10 clinicians per quarter 
being trained. This includes trainees from multiple distributors 
from multiple regions.

Priorities for 2019/20
The Clinical Education Programme will be further standardised 
to enable delivery by multiple trainers in each distributor territory 
with in-built monitoring and data capture to maintain standards. 
This will facilitate the target of training further physicians 
and their assistants in 2019. Creo will always direct, own and 
monitor the Clinical Education Programme wherever delivered.

During the next 2 years our aim will be to integrate and 
extend the programme to include the educational and training 
requirements of the GI suite of devices as these are launched 
into the market.

The overall goal is to have trainers in situ for each  
distributor territory.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start: 
Clinical Development

Clinical Development

Spotlight on a clinician: Dr. Zacharias Tsiamoulos

What made you become one of the early adopters  
of Creo’s Speedboat device?
I love innovation and research. Historically in the UK and 
Europe, pre-cancerous colorectal lesions have been treated 
either with a piecemeal snare resection or with surgery.  
Snare resections are quick and practical, but there is a high 
rate of recurrence, so the patient needs to be brought back 
for repeat procedures, as frequently as 5 times in 5 years.  
The other option is surgery, which brings a risk of mortality 
and requires a minimum of 5 days’ hospital stay even if there 
are no complications. This is not good for the patient, and 
becomes very expensive for the Healthcare Trust.

In 2016/17, I was only doing piecemeal snare resections.  
Within a year of coming across Speedboat I had completely 
changed my practice to treat all of my patients with Creo’s 
Advanced Energy platform and the Speedboat device.  
My motivation is to see my patient leaving the room with their 
bowel preserved and no pain. 

The first case I worked on turned out to be cancerous, so the 
first time I used Speedboat was to save someone’s life. 

How were you able to introduce this new 
technology to the hospital trust?
People are generally apprehensive of new technology. I was 
lucky, as I moved to my Trust and, as the endoscopy clinical  
lead for the Trust, was able to repatriate skills to create a new 
service. This allowed me to adopt Speedboat at the Trust.

Can you give an example to illustrate 
patient outcomes?
As part of the UK national bowel cancer screening programme, 
a 72 year old patient was found to have a large, 7cm lesion in 
his bowel. Historically, surgical intervention would have been 
required. Or, if the patient had been referred to one of the 
London centres, they might have considered a procedure 
with monopolar knives under general anaesthetic for 4 or  
5 hours, and a hospital stay for 2 or 3 days. 

In addition, Speedboat encourages teamwork. The nurse’s 
role in the procedure is so important and has a significant 
impact on the outcome. This is why Creo invites clinicians to 
train together with their nurses on the Creo Clinical Education 
Programme. It is then easier to implement the techniques  
in their own practice. The doctor holds the colonoscope,  
the nurse holds the device. There’s a mutual respect for the 
benefit of the patient. With Speedboat the team feel engaged 
in the procedure and so perform brilliantly and in a very 
efficient way. 

This patient was referred to my clinic. I decided to remove the 
lesion using Speedboat: it took an hour and a half, the patient 
went home the same day and there was no bleeding. Analysis 
showed the lesion to be pre-cancerous. On the first follow-up 
after 3 months, there was no recurrence. When the patient 
came to the Trust, as a token of his appreciation he gave me a 
real Japanese samurai sword with my name on a plaque and 
the quote ‘the surgeon who saved my life’. When you see the 
patient with a smile on their face saying ‘you saved my life’, 
that’s the reason why I do this job.

What are the benefits of Speedboat 
for practitioners?
With Speedboat, you have one device that can cut, coagulate, 
inject, protect and rotate. There’s no delay because of needing to 
change instruments, and I feel very confident that I can control 
bleeding of all vessels. There’s no need to use any other device. 

With a piecemeal resection there is a risk of bleeding  
within 2 weeks. So far we haven’t had any delayed bleeding 
following Speedboat procedures. Also, bipolar energy is 
much safer for cutting tissue than monopolar, since there is 
much greater control of the site where the energy is delivered 
so the risks of adhesion associated with monopolar energy 
delivery are avoided. 

One of the nurses we trained commented that the room is 
very relaxed because the bleeding can be controlled with the 
same device. The nurse isn’t busy waiting to change devices 
in a stressful situation, rather they are there to help guide and  
be an embedded part of the process. As in surgery, you have 
an assistant and having a nurse assist with Speedboat 
dissections is very important. 

“The first case I 
worked on turned 
out to be cancerous, 
so the first time I 
used Speedboat  
was to save 
someone’s life.”

Dr. Zacharias Tsiamoulos 

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

19

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018The Horizon Group

2020

STRATEGIC REPORT

Clinical Development 
continued

The Horizon Group of KOLs

The Horizon Group has been particularly focused on evolving our 
gastrointestinal product portfolio. In addition we also work with  
Key Opinion Leaders across the world drawing our expertise  
in a wide range of clinical practice.

Creo’s Horizon Group – Created to identify and 
address the needs of the GI market
Creo’s Horizon Group consists of key physicians who serve 
the important advisory function of assisting Creo to identify 
and assess unmet market opportunities in gastrointestinal 
endoscopy that could contribute to the improvement of 
patient outcomes.

Horizon Group activity and development of our 
product portfolio
Creo’s Horizon Group was created in 2016 and held its first 
group meeting in January 2017 in Amsterdam to identify 
clear unmet and poorly served needs in the gastrointestinal 
endoscopy arena that could be addressed using Creo’s 
Advanced Energy platform. 

Under the close guidance of the group leader, Robert 
Hawes, MD, Creo has brought together a group of 
endoscopy experts from around the world to not only 
identify unmet needs of GI endoscopy, but also to provide 
Creo with important perspectives on market dynamics.

Internally, Creo had identified some 45 potential areas to 
address, with the Horizon Group identifying 76 potential 
areas of application. Creo’s immediate activity was to qualify 
the 76 potential areas of application in terms of our ability to 
meet the need, as well as the size of and time to market.

During the reporting period we have created multiple 
fully resourced product development teams (one for each 
product family). In 2018, Horizon Group members were 
brought together in Boston and have performed hands-
on assessments of Creo’s next-stage tissue resection, 
coagulation and ablation devices throughout the GI tract. 

Looking forward, we are very excited about the future 
development of our product portfolio and the expansion of 
the Horizon Group in order to continue to develop products 
that make meaningful advances in unmet and poorly served 
GI and wider needs.

In the past 2 years, the Horizon Group has reviewed 
potential GI diseases and treatment areas that could benefit 
from devices powered by Creo’s Advanced Energy platform.  
The Horizon Group meets regularly with Creo engineers 
and management at key GI meetings and pre-clinical 
settings worldwide, reviewing ideas and developments and 
evaluating next-generation prototype devices.

2017 and 2018 was characterised by high levels of activity, 
workshops and investment to develop and enhance the 
emerging device portfolio, with the goal being to develop 
those devices that could deliver game changing outcomes 
and be brought to market.

Our initial product development centred around 4 product 
families that address 15 to 20 of the identified 76 potential 
areas of application. These are our first Speedboat, Narrow 
Ablation and Flexible Ablation Probes, Resector  
and Haemostat.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:The Horizon Group

Robert Hawes
MD

Kazuki Sumiyama
MD, PhD

Bronte Holt
MBBS (Hons), BMedSc, FRACP, 
PhD

Dr. Hawes is recognised worldwide as a gastroenterologist, 
researcher, prolific author, speaker, mentor and pioneer of new 
procedures and technology for therapeutic endoscopy. 
Dr. Hawes has received the prestigious Rudolf Schindler Award 
from the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 
(ASGE), ASGE’s highest honour, as well as ASGE’s Master 
Endoscopist Award. Dr. Hawes practices at the Center for 
Interventional Endoscopy at AdventHealth Orlando and is a 
co-founder of the AdventHealth Institute for Minimally Invasive 
Surgery. Dr. Hawes received his medical school, residency  
and fellowship training at Indiana University. Dr. Hawes has 
recognised that Creo’s advanced energy technology, delivered 
with small flexible devices for tissue resection, coagulation and 
ablation, is new and unique; something that has been missing 
and sought after for decades in the field of GI endoscopy.

Dr. Sumiyama is the Director, Division of Endoscopy, Jikei 
University Hospital; Professor, Department of Endoscopy,  
The Jikei University School of Medicine; and Professor, 
Department of Gastroenterological Endoscopy, The Jikei 
University School of Medicine Graduate School.  
Dr. Sumiyama’s focus is pre-clinical research and clinical  
use of improved tissue resection, ESD, coagulation and 
ablation devices and advanced energy for endoscopy.  
His extensive clinical expertise in both the upper and lower  
GI tract brings a broad range of input to the development  
and design of the Creo endoscopic devices. 

Dr. Holt is an Interventional Endoscopist and 
Gastroenterologist, St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, 
Australia and Senior Clinical Lecturer, The University  
of Melbourne. Dr. Holt was an Advanced Endoscopy  
Fellow both at the Center for Interventional Endoscopy, 
AdventHealth, Orlando, FL and Westmead Hospital, Sydney, 
Australia. She is a recipient of numerous research grants  
and awards; she has a long list of peer-reviewed papers and 
currently supervises training in Advanced Endoscopy at  
St Vincent’s Hospital. Dr. Holt’s key interests, as part of the 
Horizon Group, are tissue resection and treatment of 
pancreatic disorders including cysts. 

Shyam Varadarajula
MD

Amyn Haji
MA, MBBChir, MSc,  
FRCS (Eng)

Oliver Pech
MD, PhD

Dr. Varadarajula is the Medical Director of AdventHealth 
Orlando Center for Interventional Endoscopy and Professor  
of Medicine, University of Central Florida College of Medicine. 
He is recognised worldwide as a leading physician, researcher, 
prolific author, speaker and mentor in pancreatic and biliary 
disorders, endoscopic ultrasound and therapeutic ERCP.  
Dr. Varadarajula’s key interest is to use Creo’s microwave 
technology for pancreatic disorders.

Dr. Haji is a Consultant in Colorectal Surgery at King’s 
College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust with interest in 
Minimally Invasive Colorectal Surgery and Advanced 
Colonoscopy. Dr. Haji is lead for both Colorectal Surgery and 
Endoscopy for the King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation 
Trust with his focus to further develop and shape colorectal 
and interventional endoscopy services. Dr. Haji offers Creo a 
unique perspective as a colorectal surgeon who performs 
advanced endoscopic procedures.

Dr. Pech is Professor of Medicine, University of Regensburg, 
Head of Gastroenterology and Interventional Endoscopy,  
St. John of God Hospital, Regensburg, Germany. His research 
interest as part of the Creo Horizon Group is the endoscopic 
therapy of early cancers involving endoscopic resection,  
ESD and ablation.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

21

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018 
Chief Technology Officer’s 

Statement

2222

STRATEGIC REPORT

Chief Technology Officer’s Statement 

At a personal level, the last 18 months have been the most exciting time  
since the start of Creo’s journey.

Using our Speedboat device to remove both cancerous and 
pre-cancerous lesions from the upper and lower GI tract to 
transform the lives of patients is truly amazing.

A cohort of clinicians have now been trained to use 
the device and they all want to get the Speedboat 
device into their facility and use it to treat their patients 
as soon as possible; this is yet another great endorsement 
of our technology.

We have seen great progress in the development of our 
pipeline of endoscopic devices that complement the 
Speedboat device. 

In March 2018, our Horizon Group met in Boston, USA to 
evaluate Creo’s pipeline GI devices in a pre-clinical setting  
(see page 20 for more information on Creo’s Horizon Group). 
The outcome was extremely successful and led to the design 
freeze on our suite of new Creo endoscopic GI and flexible 
ablation products. 

In addition to the Horizon Group work, a body of evidence 
that demonstrates efficacy for our pipeline devices has been 
collected during 2018; including pilot GLP and GLP ex-vivo 
data gathered under the guidance of Professor James E. 
Coad MD at West Virginia University, USA and in-vivo data 
gathered under the guidance of Professor Paul Sibbons at 
Northwick Park Institute of Medical Research.

The last 18 months has continued to be fruitful for Creo in 
terms of developing and filing new inventions to protect our 
CROMA Advanced Energy platform and conceptualising new 
devices. In total, 24 new Creo inventions were filed in the 
period between 1 July 2017 to 31 December 2018. 

A number of key patent applications relating to our CROMA 
Advanced Energy platform, enhancements to the Speedboat 
device and the development of our suite of GI products and 
flexible ablation devices were also granted during the period. 
Since 1 July 2017, 46 new patents were granted or allowed (181 
if the independently enforceable national patents derived 
from European patent applications are counted separately). 
This takes the Creo patent estate to 135 granted patents  
(452 if national patents derived from European applications 
are counted separately) and 431 pending applications in  
12 jurisdictions across the globe*.

*As at 31 December 2018.

Chris Hancock 
Chief Technology Officer

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:CROMA Advanced Energy platform
Our unique CROMA Advanced Energy platform is built upon 
Creo’s patented technology to allow the delivery of microwave 
and bipolar radio frequency energy through a single 
accessory port, enabling the use of a range of novel miniature 
endoscopic devices with precise and highly controllable 
cutting, coagulation and ablation capabilities.

Speedboat
Speedboat is the first device developed for use with the CROMA 
Advanced Energy platform. Speedboat allows the removal of 
cancerous and pre-cancerous gastrointestinal lesions using a 
flexible endoscope in a single large piece (en-bloc), providing a 
more complete and accurate specimen for analysis and reducing 
the need for frequent endoscopic checks. 

Speedboat has already achieved some excellent clinical results, 
but this is the beginning of the immediate roadmap to launch a 
suite of GI devices to leverage the core patient, physician and 
provider benefits of the CROMA Advanced Energy platform.

The first year following the IPO we gained regulatory clearance 
of Speedboat and the CROMA Advanced Energy platform which 
during 2018 allowed us to achieve great initial clinical results.

Content Section at start:

Page Title at start:

Immediate Product 

Roadmap

Immediate Product Roadmap

Looking ahead, the immediate product roadmap aims to 
deliver a range of devices for the therapeutic endoscopist,  
all centred around the core features of the CROMA Advanced 
Energy platform (being precise resection, dissection, 
haemostasis and ablation for relevant clinical indications).

The focus of all these devices is delivery through flexible 
platforms. However, in each range of devices the potential to 
deliver rigid laparoscopic devices will ultimately be an option 
either developed internally or via licensing arrangements with 
existing laparoscopic partners.

The GI sector has been completely underserved with regard 
to innovation and, in particular, advanced energy devices. 
This, we believe, is primarily due to the technical challenge 
associated with delivering advanced energy through flexible, 
narrow and miniature devices required of GI practice. 
Advanced energy has long been the mainstay of advanced 
laparoscopic surgery. The suite of devices we aim to launch 
begin to bring this capability to the GI endoscopist.

We have built 4 fully resourced device development teams. 
These teams are dedicated to the development of the 
CROMA Advanced Energy platform, the development of 
Dissection and Haemostasis devices, Resection devices and 
Ablation devices, initially delivered via flexible endoscopy 
platforms used in upper GI, lower GI, PancraBilliary and 
Pulmonary applications. 

Our Dissection and Haemostasis devices build on the 
Speedboat device and enable devices to deal, for example, 
with GI bleed indications and benefit from the controlled  
heat and temperature delivery of microwave energy, utilising 
unique non-stick coatings to offer uniquely controlled 
non-stick haemostasis.

Our flexible Resection device integrates laparoscopic device 
capability at the end of narrow flexible devices for a wide 
range of tissue resection and management applications. This 
device will be rolled out in various different forms to bring a 
surgical toolbox to the world of surgical endoscopy.

Finally, our range of flexible, tiny microwave ablation devices 
deliver probably the world’s smallest microwave ablation 
catheters in different variants for the precise and accurate 
delivery of microwave energy for the ablation of  
pre-cancerous and cancerous tissue in various organs 
including the pancreas, lung, liver and kidney. 

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

23

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

Medium-Term Product 

Roadmap

2424

STRATEGIC REPORT

Medium-Term Product Roadmap

Beyond the immediate roadmap of flexible advanced energy 
devices, Creo has a large IP estate to protect our CROMA 
Advanced Energy platform and a range of device structures 
with an equally wide range of potential clinical applications, 
all driven by the CROMA Advanced Energy platform.

A second family of devices on our medium-term roadmap is  
a family of laparoscopic devices, where a number of our 
flexible endoscopic devices, such as Speedboat and resector 
products can be refactored to deliver microwave and RF 
energy at the end of a rigid 300mm-long catheter. 

The CROMA platform will benefit from a continuous roadmap 
of improving capability based on the current and continually 
broadening IP portfolio and technological advances in 
microwave and RF power devices, signal processing, 
electromagnetic modelling tools and rapid prototyping 
equipment. This will see the current research projects bring 
additional modalities to the CROMA platform. A continuing 
versioning roadmap of software will deliver simple to use, 
intuitively operated devices to the clinical community. This is 
a key requirement that our current users praise us for.

A significant portion of the Creo IP estate protects our 
non-thermal plasma technology for applications in a number 
of areas, including wound care, urinary tract infections and 
endoscope sterilisation. This technology has been validated 
through work with microbiologists at UCL Hospital and the 
University of West of England where, in 2018, we demonstrated 
that our non-thermal plasma produces a significant log 
reduction of microorganisms, as specified by the FDA. 

During 2018 we prototyped novel flexible non-thermal plasma 
applications to sterilise the instrument channel of a range of 
endoscopes. A typical applicator and scope arrangement is 
shown in Fig. 1. This and a range of similar flexible applicator 
designs were protected through new GB patent applications 
filed in 2018.

The Creo IP families already in place to protect the Speedboat 
blade and a range of scissor structures and jaw arrangements 
that deliver both microwave energy for coagulating tissue  
and bipolar RF energy for cutting tissue cover both rigid 
laparoscopic devices as well as flexible arrangements.  
An example of a device developed by the Creo concept team 
in 2018 is shown in Fig. 2. This device uses a novel microwave 
antenna structure to deliver microwave energy into the walls 
of vessels for effective vessel sealing. 

Creo has been delivering as commercial partner in the 
SUMCASTEC project since its announcement in 2017. With 
responsibility for the cell neutralisation aspect of the work, 
we have delivered novel enhancements to the core CROMA 
technology to our microbiology partners in Rome. These 
novel CROMA systems are crucially delivering “non-thermal” 
effects that are being analysed with regard to their impact 
on medulloblastoma and glioblastoma cells in fluid cultures.

Results so far indicate that it is possible to use the first Creo 
developed high voltage pulse generator to open up the cell 
membranes and introduce fluorescent dyes. 

This research program will enhance the production CROMA 
platform of the future with the inclusion of non-thermal 
capability to complement RF, microwave and non-thermal 
plasma modalities.

Figure 1: Flexible plasma applicator 
inserted down the instrument channel 
of an endoscope for sterilisation

Figure 2: Concept Vessel Sealer 
– Microwave Energy Seal and 
Cold Steel Cut

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:Innovation in our IP and our 

Collaboration 

– the Long-Term Roadmap

Innovation in our IP and our Collaboration – the Long-Term Roadmap

IP management 
We take IP management very seriously. For a company of  
our size we have an extensive suite of patents, including an 
array of foreground and background patents to protect our 
core innovations. Our portfolio of 79 patent families is 
centred on our CROMA Advanced Energy platform and 
associated interface elements, which are currently protected 
by 24 families. Most of the remaining families are directed  
at instruments that can be used to deliver microwave and  
RF energy into tissue to perform bronchoscopic, endoscopic, 
laparoscopic and open procedures.

From 1 July 2017 to 31 December 2018 Creo was granted or 
allowed 46 new patents. We also filed 24 new inventions 
during the period to protect future medical device ideas and 
to enhance the protection we have on our technology.

Our ambition is for our CROMA Advanced Energy platform 
and instruments to be used in all hospitals to treat as many 
clinical conditions as possible via endoscopic, laparoscopic 
and open surgical procedures, including wound treatment 
and tumour ablation.

IP estate
The Creo IP estate has developed not only through new 
inventions protected by the constant filing of new GB 
applications and existing patent applications reaching  
the International and National Phases, but through key 
applications being granted in the UK and all over the world. 
Table 1 below summarises this activity.

Table 1: Patents granted during the 18-month period

Number of granted patents  
(1 July 2017 – 31 December 2018)

Technology area

CROMA Advanced Energy platform
Ablation Devices
Speedboat and Resector
Plasma Technology

Open approach to innovation 
Even with fully resourced internal development teams, to fully 
exploit the opportunity we recognise the need to collaborate 
with partner organisations in order to develop our own IP as 
well as stimulating the continual development of device IP 
powered by the CROMA platform.

We have a very open approach to innovation, both within 
Creo and beyond. Within the business, we hold a monthly 
innovation workshop. We also have a long history of 
collaborating externally with various academic institutions. 

Long term, as the CROMA Advanced Energy platform 
capability develops, as with other industry sectors, we intend 
to explore opportunities to creatively collaborate, partner with 

or license to device manufacturers and innovators, large and 
small, in multiple markets worldwide, where the device 
engineering capability exists. 

Extending the engineering discipline and interfacing which  
we utilise within Creo, we intend to develop innovative 
partnering and engineering agreements to stimulate much 
wider IP creation but with the crucial control steps to maintain 
the core values of intuitive, self provisioning and safe to use 
advanced energy devices powered by the CROMA platform.

Creo’s IP portfolio, when combined with innovative 
collaboration, truly has the potential to fulfil clinical 
applications across multiple indications. 

Chart 1: Graphical representation 
of Creo Medical’s patent families*

135 granted 
patents
431 patents 
pending

16
10
16
4

As of 31 December 2018,  
we had 135 granted patents and 431  
pending applications around the world.

* Size of circle represents number of patents

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

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Platform Generator 
& interface elements
24

Fluid & Plasma 
 families

6

1

2

1

Ablation families

21

1

1

1

Speedboat™ &  
Endo families

7

4

Resector &  
Grasper families

4

7

1

3

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018Our Business Model

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STRATEGIC REPORT

Our Business Model

RESILIENT AND SCALABLE

We have established a resilient and scalable model that combines 
the strengths of our pioneering products with the reach of our 
strategic partners for the benefit of our stakeholders.

INPUTS
We will create value through our unique resources and relationships

Expertise and IP
Our talented team of world-class developers is drawn 
from diverse related disciplines, spanning military radar to 
medical devices.

Our IP portfolio includes 79 patent families, comprising 
135 granted patents and 431 pending applications (as at 
31 December 2018), all in the area of electrosurgical 
energy generation and control, together with a range of 
applicator structures for advanced tissue management.

Strategic relationships
We establish and nurture relationships with eminent 
clinicians and Key Opinion Leaders practicing in our fields 
of interest around the world. These relationships help us to 
perfect our devices, generate clinical data and develop a 
network of influential advocates who help drive adoption 
of our CROMA Advanced Energy platform and 
electrosurgical devices.

Our framework distribution agreements to provide clinical 
training and market seeding will allow us to scale our 
presence and provide a platform for the distribution of our 
products – once commercialised – in key markets around 
the world.

Long-term investors
Sizeable shareholdings are held by key members of our 
team, as well as strategic partners, and our status as a 
public company gives us access to capital to achieve  
our vision.

During 2018 we have significantly strengthened our 
balance sheet following the successful raise of an  
additional £48.5m (before expenses). 

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:KEY DIFFERENTIATORS
We will grow value through our resilient and scalable model

RESILIENCE

SCALABILITY

Recurring revenues  
from razorblade model
The CROMA Advanced Energy platform has a 
single accessory port compatible with a suite of 
single-use devices that use the microwave and 
RF energy for cutting, coagulating and ablating 
in various procedures.

Our strategy is to deliver new curative therapies 
and therapy-enhancing technologies which  
have compelling health and economic benefits 
for the global healthcare system. We will initially 
focus on the gastrointestinal endoscopy market, 
potentially expanding to bronchoscopy and 
laparoscopy over time.

Diversified applications
The precise cut, coagulation and ablation 
capabilities of the CROMA Advanced Energy 
platform have application in a range of 
electrosurgical procedures where tissue 
resection with haemostasis (control of bleeding) 
and/or the ablation of tissue is required. The 
ability to bring precision and control to long, 
flexible devices opens up opportunities in 
minimally invasive surgery.

Diversified geographies
Following our CE mark and FDA clearance  
for our CROMA Advanced Energy platform and 
Speedboat, we are seeking regulatory clearance 
for our suite of devices in the EU, US and via our 
distribution agreements in other key markets 
around the world.

Rich pipeline
Our pipeline of instruments is initially focused  
on applications throughout the gastrointestinal 
tract, with other devices targeting GI accessible 
soft tissue ablation.

Education-led commercial strategy
We are working to build advocacy through a 
network of Key Opinion Leaders to endorse and 
deliver a training programme to endoscopists  
in the use of Speedboat and the CROMA 
Advanced Energy platform. We are accelerating 
the Creo Education Programme through our 
agreements with world-class distributors,  
who will ensure that their trainers, having  
been carefully mentored by Creo’s doctors  
and endoscopy nurses, can deliver training  
for clinicians at a consistently high standard.

Large and growing 
addressable markets
The GI endoscopy market has an addressable 
market of $3-4bn and forecast annual average 
growth in GI instruments of 4-6%. Other target 
applications are soft tissue ablation, bronchoscopy 
and laparoscopy markets.

Pragmatic manufacturing model
We have dedicated spaces for innovation (Bath), 
design & development (Bath/Chepstow), and 
cleanroom manufacturing & assembly (Chepstow). 
In the short-term we plan to retain manufacturing 
largely in-house to ensure quality control. We  
have initiated the outsourcing of aspects of the 
manufacturing process to increase capacity and 
reduce production costs in the medium-term.

Wide sales and distribution reach
We have framework distribution agreements 
with specialist partners covering key markets 
around the world, initially covering clinical 
education and market seeding.

VALUE CREATION
We will share value with our stakeholders

Patients
Improved outcomes, including lower 
risk of remote burns and thermal 
damage to adjacent tissue, faster 
recovery and less time in hospital.

Physicians
Peace of mind from a safe, fast set-up of 
a procedure that can be used in surgery 
and endoscopy, with predictable tissue 
effect and saving of considerable time.

Healthcare providers
Improved outcomes and lower costs 
resulting from the use of endoscopy 
suites rather than operating theatres 
(and endoscopists rather than 
surgeons) and reduced need for 
hospital stays for patients.

Investors
Attractive growth prospects.

Employees
Dynamic, creative and entrepreneurial 
culture, with exciting opportunities  
for development.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

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Page Title at start:Content Section at start:REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018Operational Strategy 

Execution

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STRATEGIC REPORT
STRATEGIC REPORT
STRATEGIC REPORT

Operational Strategy Execution

Operational execution recognises where Creo is in its evolution 
and our need to focus on 3 key strategic pillars.

PROJECTS TO PRODUCTS

PROGRESS

PRIORITIES

Having gained FDA clearance and CE mark accreditation for our CROMA 
Advanced Energy platform and Speedboat device and trained multiple 
clinicians, our clinical database has continued to grow. The majority of 
procedures were for lower GI conditions, but in a small number of cases 
Speedboat was also used in upper GI applications for the first time.

We held a pre-submission meeting with the FDA for the next device in the suite, 
a flexible ablation device.

We have defined our suite of GI devices as a direct result of inputs from our 
Horizon Group.

We have now frozen the design on our haemostat device, resector device, 
narrow ablation device and flexible ablation device.

We intend to submit filings to seek FDA clearance and CE mark accreditation for 
our resector and haemostat devices, as well as ablation products, to enable their 
launch into EU and US markets, and in Asia-Pacific.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:PRODUCTION TO MANUFACTURING

PROGRESS

PRIORITIES

We recruited a new head of operations, and have worked to standardise 
operating procedures. We have increased output through batch production,  
and have plans in place to extend our current facility since our upstream and 
downstream manufacturing is operating at capacity. We have the ability to 
double output with minimal investment into additional facilities and operatives. 
Proceeds from the share placing allow investment in the addition of moderate 
scale to allow for pilot lines for pipeline products.

We have received our first batch of outsourced products for testing that have 
been manufactured outside of the UK.

We will begin the process of extending our production facility in 2019. 

We have started and will continue to develop our initiative to partner with third 
party manufacturers to outsource selected elements to maximise efficiency 
and scalability.

TRAINEES TO USERS

PROGRESS

PRIORITIES

We have now trained clinicians from the USA, South Africa, Japan, Australia and 
Europe, and are working to convert trainees into users by changing treatment 
pathways. Our framework agreements with distributors spanning markets in 
Europe and Asia-Pacific include minimum order quantities and commitments  
to recruit minimum numbers of participants to the Clinical Education 
Programme events.

We have had trainees attend the Clinical Education Programme during a 
weekend and then deliver their first mentored upper and lower GI cases in clinic 
on the Monday following.

We will continue to broaden our coverage of new geographical markets by 
leveraging relationships with third party distributors, with Italy, France and 
Germany being targeted early in 2019. We will work with Key Opinion Leaders in 
the US to drive advocacy.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

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Page Title at start:Content Section at start:REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018Content Section at start:

Page Title at start:

Commercial Strategy

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STRATEGIC REPORT
STRATEGIC REPORT

Commercial Strategy

Our global commercial strategy is centred around  
our Clinical Education Programme and focused in 3 distinct regions.

Clinical education led
Our commercial strategy is Clinical Education led (please see page 18  
for more details on our Clinical Education Programme). We are 
establishing this process with our distribution partners in their respective 
jurisdictions. Creo will continue to own, operate, coordinate and monitor 
our Clinical Education Programme around the world.

EMEA 
We have established framework distribution agreements throughout  
the region in various markets to assist with our commercialisation.  
Our distribution partners will establish a local Creo Clinical Education 
Programme in conjunction with us before they seed their respective 
markets with products.

APAC
HOYA Group, PENTAX Medical are our long-standing distribution 
partner in the region and during the period we have agreed an extension 
to this agreement, including Australia being the first jurisdiction in which 
PENTAX Medical will establish the Creo Clinical Education Programme 
and commence market seeding with our products.

USA 
We have equipment in place with Key Opinion Leaders trained through 
our Clinical Education Programme and these centres have treated our  
first US patients (post period) with our Speedboat devices powered  
by our CROMA Advanced Energy platform. These centres have been 
identified as centres of excellence for the operation of our Clinical 
Education Programme and we aim to increase the number of these centres 
to scale up our Clinical Education Programme in the USA under our direct 
control. We are currently engaged with potential distribution partners 
alongside our own direct network to finalise initial roll out to users ahead 
of final long-term decisions with regard to US distribution.

Inorganic growth 
We will consider strategic acquisitions as a way to enhance our 
technological base and/or accelerate our market reach.

Our sales channel

Distribution partners
We have agreements with leading distributors 
of endoscopic devices in several key markets 
around the world, who are working to extend 
the reach of the Creo Clinical Education 
Programme to drive adoption in their 
respective markets.

Americas 
Direct establishment of training 
centres ahead of distribution

EMEA
Multiple Distribution Partners under  
direct management: 
UK, France, Germany, Italy, Benelux,  
Spain, South Africa

APAC
Region-wide distribution across 
multiple markets with HOYA Group, 
PENTAX Medical

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

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Page Title at start:Content Section at start:REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018Our People

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STRATEGIC REPORT

Our People

EXCEPTIONAL LEADERS AND PARTNERS

Our talented team at Creo is complemented by our network  
of key opinion leaders and distribution partners.

The Creo Medical team
We think outside the box, including when  
it comes to the disciplines from which our 
colleagues are drawn. Led by our founder 
and CTO Chris Hancock, our development 
team includes specialists from multiple 
sectors. We think laterally and fish from  
a broad pool when it comes to recruiting 
the best talent.

Our backgrounds may be diverse, but  
our enquiring minds, hunger for solutions  
and relentless drive mean we work as  
a cohesive team. We love nothing more  
than bouncing ideas around and get very 
excited when concepts from our different 
fields come together. Our monthly 
innovation workshops are open to  
all colleagues.

Indra Davies
Marketing and Training Assistant

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:Our culture is fundamental to  
the way we work, and we have 
distilled this into 5 core values:

Collaborative
•  Collaboration makes being disruptive positive, 

beneficial and effective.

•  Collaboration with our colleagues and business 

partners enables us to turn our creative ideas and 
inventions into real innovations.

Creative
•  Our diverse team means that we create original and 
therefore more effective approaches to medical 
device challenges.

Can-do
•  We believe that our ‘can-do’ approach, the energy to 
take action and our hunger for solutions mean that 
we can succeed in our goals.

•  This approach is born from being inquisitive, always 
learning, and being passionate about turning ideas 
into reality.

•  We face challenges with the kind of courage that 

comes from a personal belief in not only what we are 
doing, but why we are doing it and what it means for 
the wider world.

Life changing
•  Our aim is for medical devices to be simpler and safer to 
enable better patient outcomes that are less invasive.

Disruptive
•  We challenge assumptions and the status quo.

•  Our innovations and the clinicians who use them 

•  Our goals are nothing less than a paradigm shift in 

change lives for the better.

•  We have an uncompromising adherence to ethical 

excellence.

the medical device market and to deliver life 
changing products.

Wider Creo family
We don’t limit ourselves to our recruited talent. Our ever growing network enables 
Creo to utilise a wide range of consulting talent with extensive experience drawn 
from product design, microwave engineering, software development and  
medical devices.

Steven Patterson
Quality Assurance Manager

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

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Page Title at start:Content Section at start:REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 201834

STRATEGIC REPORT

Principal Risks and Uncertainties

APPROACH TO MANAGING RISK

The Audit Committee formally reviews the effectiveness of the Group’s risk management processes 
and internal control systems on behalf of the Board. The Board has overall responsibility for risk 
management and internal controls. Our risk management process is designed to identify, evaluate 
and mitigate significant risks to the business. Although we believe that our risk management 
procedures are adequate, the methods used to manage risk may not identify current or future risks 
or the extent of future exposures.

COMMERCIAL, OPERATIONAL, REGULATORY AND LEGAL RISKS

RISK

DESCRIPTION

MITIGATION

Market acceptance of current and  
new products

There can be no assurance that our technology will prove 
to be an attractive addition or alternative to existing 
surgical devices. Conversely, the business needs to be able 
to scale up in the event of rapid adoption of our products.

The development of a market for our products (and the 
timing of this) is affected by many factors, including: (i) 
the emergence of newer, more competitive technologies 
and products; (ii) the cost of our products; (iii) regulatory 
requirements; (iv) customer perceptions of the efficacy 
and reliability of our products; and (v) customer 
reluctance to buy a new product. 

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

34

•  We engage with Key Opinion Leaders and clinicians on 
the development of our products, gathering feedback 
in order to develop products that meet their needs.

•  Our clinical education programme is designed  

to educate clinicians on best practice and use of  
our products.

•  We continue to develop our product portfolio beyond 
the initial suite of products to give depth and breadth 
to the business.

•  We have designed the business to be scalable, for 
example with the management structure, facilities  
and our approach to training clinicians.

•  Our strategy to work through multiple channels to 

market will share some risk with third party distributors.

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018Page Title at start:Content Section at start:Product development 

Much of our future revenues will depend on our ability  
to continue to develop new products. These products 
may take longer to develop than planned, require more 
resources or may pose technical challenges that we 
cannot solve.

•  New product development is complementary to work 
already being undertaken by the business. We are 
therefore able to leverage existing skills and knowledge.

•  The Creo team have a depth of knowledge and 

experience in the devices that they are developing.

Regulatory risk 

Our products are regulated by national and regional 
medical device regulations; there can be no assurance 
that we will receive regulatory approvals on a timely 
basis, or at all. There may also be regulatory changes that 
could require additional studies and a need to resubmit 
products to the regulatory authorities.

We also need to comply with ongoing regulatory 
requirements, such as to maintain a quality system, for 
which we are subject to periodic inspections (scheduled 
and unscheduled), restrictions in relation to promotional 
materials and post-market safety surveillance programmes.

Reimbursement of medical devices in Europe is determined 
on a country-by-country basis, at a national level or, in some 
cases, by regional authorities within countries. Securing 
reimbursement may require us to collect and disseminate 
further data to demonstrate the clinical value and 
cost-effectiveness of our products, and there can be no 
assurance that the reimbursement process will be successful.

On Brexit, the UK may require alternative standards to 
the prevailing CE standards requiring additional 
regulatory approval of our products before they can be 
offered for sale in the UK.

•  We have CE marking and FDA clearance for our 

Speedboat device and CROMA generator.

•  Our QMA team is focused on the regulatory needs  
for product development and develops quality 
documentation to support all regulatory applications.

•  We are ISO: 13485 accredited and are subject to 
regular audits from bodies such as ISO and BSi.

•  All documentation is stored and available should any 
resubmission be necessary, and our quality systems 
are designed to be sufficiently robust to withstand 
any necessary scrutiny.

•  We are working with local distribution partners to 
mitigate exposure to reimbursement risk. Local 
distributors will identify the pricing locally to establish 
whether a particular market is worth pursuing.

•  We have taken steps to ensure that our CE 

registrations remain valid within the EU should the 
UK exit from the EU.

•  We are monitoring development regarding the UK’s 
exit from the EU and will take necessary actions to 
register products in any alternative UK based system 
as and when appropriate.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

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STRATEGIC REPORT

Principal Risks and Uncertainties 
continued

COMMERCIAL, OPERATIONAL, REGULATORY AND LEGAL RISKS

RISK

DESCRIPTION

MITIGATION

Risks relating to IP, proprietary rights  
and confidential information

We rely primarily on a combination of patents and 
proprietary knowledge, as well as confidentiality 
procedures and contractual restrictions to establish  
and protect our proprietary IP rights.

There can be no assurance of obtaining new patents,  
or that existing patents will provide us with sufficient 
protection in the case of an infringement of our technology 
or that others will not independently develop comparable 
or superior technology. We may inadvertently infringe  
a third party’s patent, which could lead to litigation, the 
requirement to obtain a licence, or the need to cease 
development or commercialisation of the infringing 
technology or product.

•  We have a long-standing track record of IP 

generation and successful applications, and have a 
long-standing relationship with our patent agent who 
has a deep understanding of our technology and the 
medical device sector and who advises us on the 
application and execution of patents.

•  We undertake freedom to operate searches at the  

early development stages of a new device and seek to 
ensure all devices are covered by strong IP coverage. 

•  There is an ongoing review of terms and conditions 
with third parties to ensure that IPR is retained and 
protected wherever possible.

IT security

The risk of industrial hacking for sensitive information 
and/or with the intention of deliberate malice.

In the event of a data breach the Group is liable to be 
fined for a breach of GDPR legislation.

•  Strong IT security measures have been 

implemented and are reviewed to ensure that 
we are adequately protected.

•  The Company holds very limited personal data and 
policies are in place that are designed to ensure 
compliance with GDPR.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:Product liability or other legal risks

Criminal or civil proceedings might be filed against Creo 
Medical by study subjects, patients, the regulatory 
authorities, other companies and any other third party 
using or marketing our products.

If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against 
product liability claims, we may incur substantial 
liabilities or be required to limit commercialisation of our 
products if approved. Even successful defence could 
require significant financial and management resources.

•  Our products have obtained approvals/clearance 
from third party regulatory bodies in the EU and 
United States.

•  Our design process seeks to mitigate issues by 
including pre-clinical and clinical trials in the 
development of our products.

•  We invite input from Key Opinion Leaders on product 

development and their needs.

•  Our QMS system is designed to comply with ISO 13485.

•  We review our insurance coverage annually.

•  Our Clinical Education Programme is designed to 

educate clinicians on the safe and effective use of our 
products.

Dependence on key executives  
and personnel

The future success of the Group will depend in part  
upon the expertise and continued service of certain  
key executives and technical personnel. In particular, 
Professor Chris Hancock has been, and remains, 
essential to the development of the Group.

Our ability to successfully develop commercial products 
will also depend on our ability to attract and retain 
suitable personnel.

•  We have implemented a share option scheme to retain 
key employees and enter into contracts that contain 
limited non-competition provisions with key personnel.

•  We have taken great steps over the last 18 months  
to continue to recruit more people across the  
whole business. 

•  Our HR team are focused on obtaining, developing 

and managing talent within the business. 

•  By capturing IPR through patent applications, we are 
able to ensure ownership of knowledge and create 
foundations for our product pipeline.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

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STRATEGIC REPORT

Principal Risks and Uncertainties 
continued

COMMERCIAL, OPERATIONAL, REGULATORY AND LEGAL RISKS

RISK

DESCRIPTION

MITIGATION

Dependence on distributors in certain 
geographical areas

Sales of our products depend, in part, on the financial 
resources, expertise and clients of our distributors, 
agents and other channel partners.

In 2016 we entered into a distribution agreement with 
HOYA Group, PENTAX Medical to distribute our 
products, once commercialised, in key Asia-Pacific 
markets. We do not currently have a distribution partner 
in the USA.

We cannot ensure that we will be able to retain our 
distributors, renew existing distribution agreements  
on commercially favourable terms, enter into new 
distribution agreements for target geographical markets 
or that distribution partners will dedicate the resources 
necessary for the commercial success of our products.

•  HOYA Group, PENTAX Medical is a major 

shareholder, therefore our success is their success, 
and we are involved in ongoing discussions with 
them to ensure that the distribution agreement we 
have together meets the needs of all parties.

•  We have recruited employees with direct and relevant 
experience in sales in the medical device sector. They 
are responsible for establishing distribution partners in 
key territories as well as developing a direct sales team.

• 

In the last 18 months we have entered into framework 
agreements with a number of distribution partners 
around the world, including the UK, Europe and 
South Africa. 

Dependence on key suppliers and internal 
resource to manufacture products

The manufacture of our products involves a number of 
parts, some of which may only be available from a limited 
number of third parties and/or rely on key internal 
processes within the business.

•  Wherever possible we seek to have a number of 

suppliers for components. As we move to 
manufacturing, we are seeking to ensure that all critical 
components have at least 2 sources.

Failure by a third party to deliver components or a third 
party ceasing to manufacture components could result in 
delays in the manufacture of products or the need to 
redesign certain elements. 

•  We are actively reviewing possible outsourcing 
partners to assist with part or all of certain 
manufacturing processes.

•  We have designed our manufacturing to be scalable 

and have a number of operatives trained in all aspects 
of manufacturing.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:POLITICAL RISKS

RISK

DESCRIPTION

MITIGATION

The UK’s exit from the European Union

We face risks in relation to the political and economic 
instability associated with the UK leaving the European 
Union, as well as potential changes to the legal 
framework applicable to our business.

•  Our strategy is not to focus solely on EU markets. 

Alongside the EU, we will focus on the UK and the US 
along with other markets.

•  We monitor developments on an ongoing basis to 

allow the business to react when necessary.

•  Employees that are not UK citizens currently have the 
right to work, and our HR team will seek to manage 
processes to ensure that this will continue to be the 
case post Brexit.

• 

If necessary, we may choose to establish a presence 
in the EU to facilitate access to the market and steps 
are currently being taken in this regard.

Events taking place in other jurisdictions  
may adversely impact on Creo’s ability  
to market products

We face certain geopolitical risks in relation to countries 
seeking to on-shore or pursuing a “buying local” policy 
which could fetter international sales of products 
manufactured outside of such countries.

•  We have established a US subsidiary to assist with 

product exploitation in the US.

•  Local distributors are engaged to seed local markets 
and generate initial demand of products therefore 
giving us a local presence with established persons.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

39

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 20184040

STRATEGIC REPORT

Principal Risks and Uncertainties 
continued

NATURAL DISASTERS AND PROPERTY LOSS

Events beyond the control of the 
management of the Company may have 
adverse effects on the business

The possible threat of natural disasters affecting the 
ability to trade and manufacture.

•  The Company property is well secured and we have 
taken reasonable steps to protect the contents.

•  A disaster recovery plan has been developed.

Availability and terms of additional  
financing required

FINANCIAL RISKS

Our financing requirements depend on numerous 
factors, including the rate of market acceptance of  
our technologies and our ability to attract customers.  
We may be unable to obtain adequate financing on 
acceptable terms, if at all, which could cause us to  
delay, reduce or abandon research and development 
programmes or hinder commercialisation of some or  
all of our products.

•  The 2018 fund raise gives the business significant 
balance sheet strength to achieve its near-term 
objectives.

•  We work closely with a number of agencies and 
bodies to maximise the amount of grant funding  
that is available to assist with our technological 
development while minimising our spend.

•  A significant amount of our development spend is 
subject to research and development tax relief.

•  We also have in place controls and procedures  
to manage expenditure in line with budgets.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:Foreign exchange rate fluctuations

We record transactions and prepare our financial 
statements in Sterling, but a substantial proportion of our 
income is expected to be received in US Dollars and 
Euros. We also incur some expenditure in US Dollars and 
other currencies. To the extent that the Group’s foreign 
currency assets and liabilities are not matched, 
fluctuations in exchange rates may result in realised or 
unrealised exchange gains and losses on translation of 
the underlying currency into Sterling.

•  We enter into various derivative financial instruments 
to manage our exposure to foreign exchange risks, 
including forward exchange contracts and cross 
currency swaps as are required from time to time.

•  The majority of our contracts are based in Sterling 

therefore mitigating our exposure to direct FOREX risk.

The Strategic Report was approved by the 
Board of Directors on 4 April 2019 and was 
signed on its behalf by:

Richard Rees
Chief Financial Officer
4 April 2019

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

41

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018Financial Review

42

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Financial Review

Revenue and other income
During the 18-month period we have commenced shipments 
of our CROMA Advanced Energy platform and Speedboat 
devices pursuant to the framework agreements entered into 
with our distribution partners. These early shipments 
represent a net cost to Creo as we are providing products on 
a free or discounted basis with the objective of initial market 
seeding and penetration. 

Other operating income of £0.3m in the 18-month period to 
31 December 2018 (12 months to June 2017: £0.3m) relates to 
research grants.

Operating loss
The operating loss for the 18 month period increased to 
£17.7m (12 months to June 2017: £8.9m), reflecting the 
increased operating and expanded period expenses in 
relation to clinical and development activities together with 
further investment in headcount and business infrastructure 
to support the business and enable it to continue to develop 
and commercialise its technology. This continued investment 
in the business will support its anticipated growth and 
development in the coming periods.

The underlying operating loss (or adjusted EBITDA) for the 
period was £12.6m (12 months to June 2017: £5.6m).

Whilst EBITDA is not a statutory measure the Board believes 
it is helpful to investors to include as an additional metric to 
help provide a meaningful understanding of the financial 
information as this measure provides an approximation of the 
ongoing cash requirements of the business as it continues 
future development and begins to commercialise its 
approved products. 

(All figures £)

Operating Loss
Share-based payments
Depreciation and amortisation
R&D expenditure recovered via tax credit scheme
Expenses of the initial public offering – one-off

Underlying operating loss

The Adjusted EBITDA position excludes share-based 
payment expenses, depreciation and amortisation which are 
non-cash and incorporates the recovery of research and 
development expenditure which the Group is able to benefit 
from through R&D Tax credit schemes. 

Expenses arising from share issue
Following a share placing of 38,800,000 ordinary shares 
which raised £48.5m before expenses in August 2018, the 
expensed costs incurred in the period were £nil (12 months to 
June 2017: £1.3m), with capitalised costs in the period of 
£2.6m (12 months to June 2017: £1.5m).

Tax
The tax credits recognised in the current and previous fiscal 
year relate solely to R&D tax credit claims. A deferred tax 
asset has yet to be recognised due to the uncertainty over 
the timing of future recoverability.

Expenses
Administrative expenses comprising R&D, operational support, 
sales and marketing, and finance and administration costs 
totalled £17.9m (12 months to June 2017: £9.2m). Adjusting for 
costs and tax income above, underlying administrative 
expenses are £12.9m (12 months to June 2017: £5.8m).

This annualised increase of £2.8m reflects the continued 
investment made by the Group in clinical and development 
activities and the move from small discrete production batches 
into full-scale manufacturing. Personnel costs continue to be 
the largest expense and represent approximately 65% of the 
Group’s underlying administrative expenses.

18 months to
31 Dec 2018

12 months to
30 Jun 2017

(17,663,786)
1,804,820
497,421
2,786,181
–

(8,903,066)
776,782
142,423
1,160,000
1,252,692

(12,575,364)

(5,571,169)

Richard Rees
Chief Financial Officer

Page Title at start:Content Section at start: 
Loss per share
Loss per share was 16 pence (12 months to June 2017:  
13 pence).

Principal risks and uncertainties
The principal risks and uncertainties facing the Group are set 
out on pages 34 to 41.

Directors
Details of the Directors who served during the period ended 
31 December 2018 are set out on pages 46 to 47. All six of the 
Directors serving on the Board at the year end were male.

Conflicts of interest
To address the provisions of Section 175 of the Companies 
Act 2006 relating to conflicts of interest, the Company’s 
Articles of Association allow the Board to authorise situations 
in which a Director has, or may have, a conflict of interest. 
Directors are required to give notice of any potential situation 
or transactional conflict that are to be considered at the next 
Board meeting and, if considered appropriate, conflicts are 
authorised. Directors are not permitted to participate in such 
considerations or to vote regarding their own conflicts.

Dividend
No dividend has been proposed for the period to 
31 December 2018 (12 months to June 2017: £nil).

Cash flow and balance sheet
Net cash used in operating activities was £14.3m (12 months 
to June 2017: £6.9m), driven by the planned increase in 
investment in research and development during the period 
and the move from small discrete production batches into 
production manufacturing. Net cash generated from share 
issue was £46.1m (12 months to June 2017: £20.0m), further 
strengthening the balance sheet and providing the platform 
for long-term product development, new product introduction 
and commercialisation.

Total assets increased to £49.7m (30 June 2017: £16.1m),  
a 209% increase, reflecting the increase in cash arising  
from the issue of new ordinary shares, offset by the operating 
cash outflow for the period. Cash and cash equivalents at 
31 December 2018 were £44.6m (30 June 2017: £13.7m). Net 
assets were £47.7m (30 June 2017: £14.7m), a 224% increase.

Accounting policies
The Group’s financial statements have been prepared in 
accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards. 
The Group’s accounting policies have been applied 
consistently throughout the period and are described on 
pages 64 to 80.

“I am pleased to announce our second 
report and accounts following our initial 
listing on AIM in December 2016.  
The £48.5m raised in the summer of  
2018 was another turning point in the 
progression of Creo. These funds have 
provided Creo with the long-term 
platform to enable us to further  
develop multiple products through to 
commercialisation and provide the 
Company with the platform for future 
development.”

Richard Rees
Chief Financial Officer

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC
CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

43
43

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018Page Title at start:Content Section at start:44
44

GOVERNANCE
GOVERNANCE

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GOVERNANCE

Governance

Board of Directors 

Directors’ Report 

Directors’ Responsibilities 

Corporate Governance Report 

Directors’ Remuneration Report (unaudited) 

46

48

49

50

54

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

45
45

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

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GOVERNANCE

Board of Directors

Board of Directors

3

6

1

4

2

5

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Craig Gulliford
Chief Executive Officer

2

Professor Christopher Hancock
Chief Technology Officer

3

Richard Rees
Chief Finance Officer

Craig is a founding angel investor in Creo Medical, joining as CEO in 
2012. Craig qualified with an MSc in Electronic Engineering from the 
University College of North Wales and has over 20 years’ experience in 
building international businesses from early stage through to significant 
scale. Craig’s early career developed in the Middle East working with 
large corporates delivering complex commercial projects.

In January 1999, Craig joined a start-up software and hardware business 
where, as COO, he was part of a small team that grew the company  
both organically and through acquisition, from a loss making start-up  
to a profitable business delivering significant shareholder returns and  
an exit in 2007.

Chris is the founder of Creo Medical with over 20 years’ experience in 
medical device development, including 4 years at Gyrus Group plc  
in his role as Senior Engineer.

Chris holds a personal Chair in the Medical Microwave Systems 
Research Group at Bangor University. Chris is a Fellow of the Institute  
of Physics, a Chartered Physicist, Fellow of the Institute of Engineering 
and Technology, a Chartered Engineer and a Senior Member of the IEEE. 
Chris is a named inventor and lead author on over 500 granted patents, 
patent applications and international journal publications.

Richard joined Creo Medical as CFO in July 2016. Prior to joining Creo, 
Richard was CFO of SPTS Technologies, a UK-based, global manufacturer 
of semiconductor capital equipment. In 2011, Richard was part of a 
management team at SPTS Technologies that, together with Bridgepoint 
Capital, acquired SPTS Technologies for $200 million from Sumitomo 
Precision Products. In 2014, SPTS Technologies was acquired by 
Orbotech Ltd for more than $350 million. Prior to joining SPTS 
Technologies, Richard spent 7 years at KPMG in audit.

4

Charles Spicer
Chairman

5

John Bradshaw
Independent Non-Executive Director

6

David Woods
Non-Executive Director

Charles is an experienced director of public and private companies 
primarily in the MedTech sector. Charles is Chairman of IXICO plc, Realm 
Therapeutics plc and 11 Health & Technologies Ltd. In addition, Charles is 
chair of the UK Department of Health’s Invention for Innovation (i4i) 
Funding Panel.

Charles was a director of Aircraft Medical (acquired by Medtronic Inc.  
in December 2015) and Stanmore Implants (acquired by Stryker Inc., 
April 2016). Charles was also previously chief executive of MDY 
Healthcare plc, a strategic healthcare investor and, prior to that,  
head of healthcare corporate finance at both Numis Securities and 
Nomura International.

Charles is the chair of the Company’s Remuneration Committee and  
is a member of the Company’s Audit Committee.

John is a chartered accountant with more than 20 years’ experience as a 
Chief Financial Officer with venture capital backed and listed companies. 
John is the Chief Financial Officer of Syncona Investment Management 
Limited, the Investment Manager of Syncona Limited a FTSE250 listed 
life sciences investment company. John is a Non-Executive director and 
Audit Committee Chair of AIM listed IXICO PLC.

John is the chair of the Company’s Audit Committee and is a member  
of the Company’s Remuneration Committee.

David is an industry veteran within the MedTech sector. His experience in 
the Medical Device Market encompasses General and Orthopaedic 
Surgery, Gastroenterology, Pulmonology and ENT. David is currently the 
President and CEO of PENTAX Americas and M&A Director of HOYA 
Group, PENTAX Medical. David was awarded the ASGE Presidents 
award in 2010 recognising exceptional contributions to the society  
and its mission.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

47

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

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Directors’ Report

48

GOVERNANCE

Directors’ Report

The Directors present their report together with the audited 
consolidated financial statements for the 18 months to 31 December 
2018. These will be laid before the shareholders of the Company at  
the next Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Directors’ interests and indemnity arrangements
The Directors’ interests in the shares of the Company are disclosed in 
the Remuneration Report on pages 54 to 55.

Save as referred to above, the Directors are not aware of any persons 
as at 31 December 2018 who were interested in 3% or more of the 
voting rights of the Company or could directly or indirectly, jointly or 
severally, exercise control over the Company.

Creo Medical Group plc (listed on the AIM market of the London  
Stock Exchange (LSE:CREO)) is incorporated in England and Wales, 
registration number 10371794 and the address of its registered office  
is Creo House, Unit 2, Beaufort Park, Beaufort Park Way, Chepstow, 
Wales, United Kingdom NP16 5UH.

Principal activity
The principal activity of the company during the period continued to  
be that of research and development of surgical equipment in respect 
of certain medical procedures. 

Results and dividends
The results of the Group for the 18 months to 31 December 2018 are  
set out in the Consolidated Statement of Profit or Loss and Other 
Comprehensive Income on page 62.

The Directors do not recommend the payment of a dividend.

Review of the period
A summary of the Group’s progress and development is set out in the 
Chairman’s Statement and the Chief Executive’s Statement and the 
Financial Review, which form part of the Strategic Report on pages 12, 
14 and 42 respectively. This analysis includes comments on the position 
of the Group at the end of the period, an indication of likely future 
developments in the business of the Group and details of the Group’s 
activities in the field of research and development.

Directors 
The directors who held office during the 18 months up to the date  
of approval of the financial statements were as follows:
•  Professor Christopher Paul Hancock 

•  Craig Jonathan Gulliford 

•  Richard John Rees 

•  David Gerard Woods 

•  Charles Alexander Evan Spicer 

• 

John Bradshaw

In accordance with Section 234 of the Companies Act 2006 and as 
permitted by the Articles of Association of the Company, the Company 
maintained insurance throughout the 18-month period for its Directors 
and officers against the consequences of actions brought against them 
in relation to the execution of their duties for the Company.

No Director had, during or at the end of the 18-month period, a material 
interest in any contract which was significant in relation to the Group’s 
business except in respect of service agreements and share options and 
as disclosed in the Directors’ Remuneration Report on pages 54 to 55. It 
is noted that David Woods is President and CEO of PENTAX Americas 
and M&A Director of HOYA Group PENTAX Medical, one of Creo 
Medical Group plc’s largest shareholders and with whom the Company 
has entered an agreement for the distribution of its products in key 
markets in the Asia-Pacific region and post period, Germany, France  
and Italy.

The Company has not granted any indemnities to any of its Directors 
against liability in respect of proceedings brought by third parties.

Share capital
Details of the Company’s issued share capital are shown in Note 21 to 
the consolidated financial statements.

The share capital comprises one class of ordinary shares and these are 
listed on AIM. As at 31 December 2018 there were in issue 120,495,385 
fully paid ordinary shares. All shares are freely transferable and rank 
pari passu for voting and dividend rights.

Substantial holdings
As at 31 December 2018, shareholders holding more than 3% of the 
share capital of Creo Medical Group plc were as follows:

Canaccord Genuity Wealth Mgt
Finance Wales Investments
Baillie Gifford & Co
FIL Investment International
HOYA Corporation
Mr Christopher Hancock
Tellworth Investments
Legal & General Investment Mgt

22,433,531
12,776,727
8,263,312
4,911,307
4,799,880
4,400,046
4,182,279
3,671,580

18.62%
10.60%
6.86%
4.08%
3.98%
3.65%
3.47%
3.05%

Financial risk management objectives and policies
The Company’s financial risk management objectives and policies are 
shown in Note 18 to the consolidated financial statements. The main 
risks arising from the Company’s financial instruments are interest  
rate risk, exchange rate risk, credit risk, and liquidity risk, which are 
continuously monitored by the Board.

Political contributions
The Company made no political donations or incurred any political 
expenditure during the year.

Disclosure of information to auditor
The Directors who held office at the date of approval of this Directors’ 
report confirm that, so far as they are each aware, there is no relevant 
audit information of which the Company’s auditor is unaware; and  
each Director has taken all the steps that he ought to have taken as a 
Director to make himself aware of any relevant audit information and  
to establish that the Company’s auditor is aware of that information.

Other information
An indication of likely future developments in the business and 
particulars of significant events which have occurred since the end of the 
18-month period have been included in the Strategic Report on page 78.

Auditor
KPMG LLP were re-appointed as auditor during the period. In accordance 
with Section 489 of the Companies Act 2006, a resolution for the 
re-appointment of KPMG LLP as auditor of the company is to be 
proposed at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting. 

By order of the Board

Richard Rees
Director 
Creo House, Unit 2, Beaufort Park, Beaufort Park Way, Chepstow, 
Wales NP16 5UH

4 April 2019

Content Section at start:Page Title at start:

Directors’ Responsibilities

Directors’ Responsibilities

The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the Group and  
parent Company financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the Directors to prepare Group and 
Parent Company financial statements for each financial year. 
Under the AIM Rules for Companies they are required to prepare 
the Group financial statements in accordance with International 
Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European 
Union (IFRSs as adopted by the EU) and applicable law and they 
have elected to prepare the parent Company financial 
statements in accordance with UK accounting standards and 
applicable law (UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), 
including FRS 101 Reduced Disclosure Framework.

Under company law the Directors must not approve the financial 
statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair 
view of the state of affairs of the Group and parent Company and 
of their profit or loss for that period.  In preparing each of the 
Group and Parent company financial statements, the Directors 
are required to:
•  select suitable accounting policies and then apply them 

consistently;  

•  make judgements and estimates that are reasonable, 

• 

• 

relevant, reliable and prudent;  
for the Group financial statements, state whether they have 
been prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU;
for the parent Company financial statements, state whether 
applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, 
subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in 
the financial statements;  

•  assess the Group and parent Company’s ability to continue 

as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related 
to going concern; and  

•  use the going concern basis of accounting unless they either 
intend to liquidate the Group or the parent Company or to 
cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.  

The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting 
records that are sufficient to show and explain the parent 
Company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy 
at any time the financial position of the parent Company and 
enable them to ensure that its financial statements comply with 
the Companies Act 2006.  They are responsible for such internal 
control as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation 
of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, 
whether due to fraud or error, and have general responsibility for 
taking such steps as are reasonably open to them to safeguard 
the assets of the Group and to prevent and detect fraud and 
other irregularities.  

Under applicable law and regulations, the Directors are also 
responsible for preparing a Strategic Report and a Directors’ 
Report that comply with that law and those regulations.

The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity 
of the corporate and financial information included on the 
company’s website. Legislation in the UK governing the 
preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ 
from legislation in other jurisdictions.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

49

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

Content Section at start:Corporate Governance 

Report

50

GOVERNANCE

Corporate Governance Report

Introduction
Creo Medical Group plc is traded on the AIM market of the London 
Stock Exchange (LSE:CREO). The Director’s recognise the importance 
of sound corporate governance and are committed to maintaining high 
standards of corporate governance. As a company whose shares are 
admitted to AIM, the Board has adopted and complies with the Quoted 
Companies Alliance’s Corporate Governance Code (“the Code”).

The Quoted Companies Alliance Corporate 
Governance Code
In accordance with AIM Rules, the Company publishes an annual 
summary setting out how the Company complies with the Code.  
The 2018 summary is available on the Company’s website at  
investors.creomedical.com/investors/corporate-governance. 

The Code is constructed around 10 principles, taking key elements  
of good governance and applying them in a manner which is workable 
for the needs of a growing company in pursuit of medium to long-term 
value creation for shareholders. The Board’s view is that the Company 
complies with the Code but any divergences from the Code are, in the 
circumstances, reasonable, appropriate and in the best interests of 
shareholders as a whole. 

It is the role of the Board to ensure that Creo is managed for the medium 
to long-term benefit of all its shareholders. Underpinning this are the 
corporate governance processes that have been put in place since IPO 
that are designed to ensure control, reduce risk and add long-term value 
whilst giving the shareholders the opportunity to express their views 
and expectations for Creo in a manner to encourage open dialogue. 

Set out below is an explanation of how the Company applies each principle 
of the Code together with a commentary of Creo’s compliance against 
such principle. To the extent that an explanation of Creo’s compliance 
set out against a principle is equally as relevant against another 
principle, the explanation is deemed to apply to all relevant principles.

DELIVER GROWTH

1. Establish a strategy and business model which 
promote long-term value for shareholders
Creo is a medical device company focused on the emerging field of 
surgical endoscopy. Our goal is to develop and commercialise a suite of 
medical devices based on our ground-breaking CROMA electrosurgery 
platform, initially in the field of gastrointestinal therapeutic endoscopy 
and bronchoscopy. 

Our ground-breaking CROMA electrosurgery platform has been 
designed around the “razorblade” model, with a single accessory port 
that is compatible with a suite of single-use devices that deliver 
superior outcomes for physicians and patients, delivering advanced 
energy, including bipolar radiofrequency and microwave energy, for 
tissue dissection, resection, ablation and coagulation.

To achieve our goal, we:
• 

Invest in developing and protecting our strong intellectual property 
portfolio, comprising, in total, 135 granted patents and 431 pending 
applications over 79 patent families1;

•  Recruit staff with a strong pedigree from the MedTech and other 
relevant sectors; with depth of expertise spanning from R&D, 
quality, regulatory approval and commercialisation;

• 

Invest in the development of our people by supporting ongoing 
academic qualifications and promote an entrepreneurial and 
collegiate working environment; 

•  Nurture long-term strategic relationships with: 

•  Eminent clinicians and Key Opinion Leaders practicing in our 

fields of interest around the world;

•  Distribution partners to give us scalable geographical reach into 

key markets; and

•  Shareholders to ensure that we have access to the support and 

capital that we need to achieve our goal.

1.  Correct as of 31 December 2018

2. Seek to understand and meet shareholder needs  
and expectations
We encourage shareholder engagement and have an “open door” for 
shareholder interaction. We are committed to active communication 
with all shareholders to ensure that our strategy and business model  
is understood but also to understand any concerns that shareholders 
may have. The Board believes that active engagement provides the 
Company with a stable shareholder base for the long-term.

All of our executive team engage in investor relations activities. 
Furthermore, our Chairman and senior independent Non-Executive 
Director regularly engage with institutional shareholders to gain 
feedback and discuss any areas of concern to ensure that they can  
be addressed at an executive level. 

3. Take into account wider stakeholder and social 
responsibilities and their implications for long-term success
The size of the Company and stage of development is such that we 
receive regular direct feedback from all relevant stakeholders. This 
feedback allows the Board, and consequently the Company, to ensure 
that it is designing the business for long-term growth and success. 
Aside from our shareholders and the ultimate users and beneficiaries of 
the products we are developing: our employees, business partners and 
suppliers are our most important stakeholder groups, and how we seek 
to engage with them and ascertain their feedback is set out below. 

Employees
We have regular “all employee” meetings to discuss progress of product 
development against current business plans. These meetings allow  
us to focus on areas that need greater support and also consider  
what resource the Company may need going forwards. This collegiate 
approach is taken into the workplace on a day to day basis.

We have implemented regular training and knowhow workshops  
for all employees on key skills to ensure that we provide continuous 
development and enhance team collaboration. 

We continue to employ graduates and encourage continuous 
development and education for all employees. 

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:Business partners and suppliers 
Notwithstanding the early stage of development of the business, we 
believe that the achievement of long-term success requires us to forge 
good and equitable relationships with our business partners and 
suppliers. We seek to pay suppliers within agreed credit times and, as 
we move to the next phase of our development, will introduce further 
audit checks on our supply chain to encourage all suppliers and 
business partners to meet and adhere to the high ethical standards  
that we seek to achieve. 

To mitigate risk in our supply chain, the Company aims to dual source 
all critical components. This gives the Company further opportunity to 
forge good relationships and plan for long-term success.

Modern day slavery
Notwithstanding that the Company currently falls under the current 
threshold obliging it to report annually on its Anti Modern Day Slavery 
compliance, in line with our underlying principle to improve lives the 
Company has adopted an Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking policy. 
We seek to ensure that all suppliers and business partners also adopt 
and adhere to similar policies.

Anti-bribery and corruption 
The Company has adopted an Anti-Bribery and Corruption policy. 
Many of our employees have previously worked within larger medical 
device and MedTech businesses, and accordingly they are well versed 
in the need to undertake business in an appropriate and transparent 
way. However, we do not simply rely on this. We seek to include 
provisions in our agreements with third parties to ensure that bribery 
and corruption does not form part of any business undertaken by or on 
behalf of the Company and is not within our supply chains. 

4. Embed effective risk management, considering both 
opportunities and threats, throughout the organisation
Internal controls
The Board is responsible for maintaining a sound system of internal 
financial and operational control and the ongoing review of their 
effectiveness. The Board’s measures are designed to manage, not 
eliminate, risk and, as such, provide reasonable but not absolute assurance 
against material misstatement or loss. Some key features of the internal 
control system are:

•  Management accounts information, budgets, forecasts and 

business risk information which are regularly reviewed by the Board;

•  Due to the nature of the products being developed by the Company, 
we have a rigorous quality management system that is compliant with 
ISO:13485 and which is regularly audited by independent third parties;

•  Operational, accounting and employment policies are in place and 

regularly reviewed and updated when appropriate;

•  Clearly defined organisational structure within the Company; and

•  Established financial reporting and control systems within the Company.

The Company reviews its internal controls regularly to ensure that they 
give the Company the flexibility that is necessary to allow it to grow and 
deliver long-term value to shareholders while having the correct checks 
and balances in place. 

Risk register 
The Company maintains a risk register which is reviewed regularly.  
This register allows the Board to appraise external and internal threats 
to the business and to plan and mitigate accordingly. Principal risks  
and uncertainties that may affect the business are set out in more detail 
on pages 34 to 41.

Legal
The Company has employed a General Counsel to assist and advise on all 
legal aspects of the business. The General Counsel seeks and manages 
external legal support where necessary and takes an active role in the 
management of the business to ensure that compliance is at the core of 
all that we do.

Code of conduct
The Company has adopted a Code of Conduct which sets out the 
standards that it expects all employees and representatives of the 
Company to meet to ensure that we maintain our high standards  
that we set ourselves. It is the Board’s view that by encouraging high 
working standards we will mitigate against risks arising in our day to 
day activities.

MAINTAIN A DYNAMIC MANAGEMENT 
FRAMEWORK

5. Maintain the Board as a well-functioning,  
balanced team led by the chair
The Board
Creo has a strong and effective leadership team. Creo’s Board comprises 
an Independent Non-Executive Chairman, 3 Executive Directors, and  
2 further Non-Executive Directors, one of which acts as Creo’s senior 
independent Non-Executive Director. The Board is made up of the 
following individuals:

Executive Board Members
Craig Gulliford, Chief Executive Officer
Richard Rees, Chief Finance Officer
Prof Christopher Hancock, Chief Technology Officer

Non-Executive Board Members 
Charles Spicer, Independent Non-Executive Chairman
John Bradshaw, Senior Independent Non-Executive Director
David Woods, Non-Executive Director

Brief biographies for each Board member, together with their respective 
Board Committees memberships, are set out on page 47.

All Directors stood for re-election at the last AGM as this was the 
Company’s maiden AGM. The Company’s articles of association  
require one third of its Directors to stand for re-election at each AGM. 
The Company’s articles of association can be downloaded from the 
Company’s website at investors.creomedical.com. 

Charles Spicer acts as Creo’s Independent Non-Executive Chairman. 
Charles has a limited shareholding in the Company and a limited 
interest in the Company’s share option scheme. Given Charles’ limited 
participation, the Board does not consider his share and option 
holdings to be significant and therefore consider him to be an 
independent Non-Executive Director. 

John Bradshaw acts as Creo’s senior independent Non-Executive 
Director. John has a limited interest in the Company’s share option 
scheme. Given John’s participation in the share option scheme is 
limited, the Board does not consider his share option holding to  
be significant and therefore consider him to be an independent 
Non-Executive Director.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

51

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

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FRAMEWORK continued

David Woods is the President and CEO of PENTAX Americas and  
M&A Director of HOYA Group PENTAX Medical, one of the Company’s 
shareholders. David brings seniority and market knowledge that is invaluable 
to the Board and its decision-making process. To prevent conflicts of 
interest, David Woods does not participate in or attend discussions 
with regards to matters which may give rise to a conflict of interests.

The Board feels that it has an appropriate balance between 
independence, knowledge of the Company’s technology, sector 
experience and professional standing to allow it to discharge its duties 
and responsibilities well. All Directors are encouraged to debate and 
use independent judgement based on their respective knowledge and 
experience on all matters effecting the business. 

Conflicts of interest
To address the provisions of Section 175 of the Companies Act 2006 
relating to conflicts of interest, the Company’s Articles of Association 
allow the Board to authorise situations in which a Director has, or may 
have, a conflict of interest. Directors are required to give notice of any 
potential situation or transactional conflict that are to be considered at 
the next Board meeting and, if considered appropriate, conflicts are 
authorised or Directors do not attend or participate in such discussions. 
Directors are not permitted to participate in such considerations or to 
vote regarding their own conflicts. 

6. Ensure that between them the Directors have the 
necessary up-to-date experience, skills and capabilities
The Board considers that it contains an appropriate range of skills, 
experience and knowledge and is mindful of the need to continuously 
review the needs of the business to ensure that this remains true. The 
Board members are of sufficient calibre to bring independent 
judgement of issues of strategy, performance, resources, and standards 
of conduct, which are vital to the future growth and success of the 
Group. The Board believes that it operates in an open and constructive 
manner, working effectively as a team.

52

GOVERNANCE

Corporate Governance Report  
continued

The Board is supported by a number of professionals both internal and 
external, including the Company’s General Counsel, the CFO (who is a 
chartered accountant), the Senior Independent Non-Executive Director 
(who is a chartered accountant) and external advisers (details of which 
are set out on page 47). 

7. Evaluate Board performance based on clear and 
relevant objectives, seeking continuous improvement
Since IPO the Board has sought to improve the ways in which it 
interacts and the manner in which information is presented to it. The 
processes that have been put in place allow for a consistent approach 
to reporting, thus aiding analysis by the Board of all matters at hand. 

While the Company does not currently have any formal appraisal 
processes or evaluation criteria for Board members, the Chairman and 
Senior Independent Non-Executive Director regularly meet and discuss 
performance with members of the executive team, which in the Board’s 
opinion is currently sufficient for the Company’s purposes. This will be 
kept under review and the Board will consider whether formal 
evaluations are appropriate in the future.

8. Promote a corporate culture that is based on ethical 
values and behaviours
Our core principle is clear: to improve lives. As such, ethical values and 
behaviours are at the heart of what we do. The Board seeks to enshrine 
such ethical values and behaviours throughout the conduct of all of 
Creo’s activities. Our values are set out in our code of conduct and 
other policies, our working practices and our systems. 

For our products to be adopted by our targeted markets, and thus 
enabling Creo to improve lives through, amongst other things, improved 
patient outcomes and reduced costs and time of procedures for 
healthcare providers, we are required to have a robust quality 
management system which is third party audited to ISO:13485 
standards. Underpinning this quality management system are 
processes to ensure that necessary safeguards are in place to ensure 
the integrity of this system and accordingly the quality of the products 
under development.

The Board leads by example. The Board seeks to treat all persons fairly 
and equitably, through clearly defined parameters of operation. This 
includes full compliance with safe working practices but also maintaining 
and protecting a positive and supportive working environment.

9. Maintain governance structures and processes that 
are fit for purpose and support good decision-making  
by the Board
The Chairman provides leadership to the Board and is responsible for 
agreeing the agenda for Board meetings, ensuring (with the Company 
Secretary) that the Directors receive the information that they need  
to participate in Board meetings, and that the Board has sufficient time 
to discuss issues on the agenda, especially those relating to strategy 
and governance.

The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for the day to day leadership 
of Creo, the management team and its employees. The Chief Executive 
Officer is responsible, in conjunction with senior management, for the 
execution of the Company’s strategy approved by the Board and the 
implementation of Board decisions.

The Board is collectively responsible for the long-term success of the 
Company. Its principal role is to provide leadership within a framework 
of prudent and effective controls, which enables risk to be assessed 
and managed. The Board considers the management team’s strategic 
proposals and, following a rigorous review, determines strategy and 
ensures that the necessary resources are in place for the management 
team to execute against that strategy.

Board meetings
The Board seeks to meet regularly, but in any event to hold no less than 
6 board meetings in each year. In addition to the scheduled meetings, 
informal discussions with both Executive Directors and senior 
operational managers of the Company in relation to strategic business 
development and other topics important to the Company’s progress are 
held by members of the Board regularly.

During the period from 1 July 2017 to 31 December 2018 the Board met 
10 times.

The Board and its committees are provided with information ahead of 
meetings to give time for review and analysis. For each Board meeting 
an agenda is prepared and approved by the Chairman and followed. 
The Board maintains an ongoing list of matters arising from the Board 
meetings which are then followed up at subsequent meetings to ensure 
that matters and decisions are being implemented.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:Our active dialogue with shareholders means that the Board receives 
regular updates on the views of shareholders. 

The Company’s collegiate and open working environment means that 
all employees are able to relay concerns to the executive team on a 
daily basis. The Company has a whistleblowing policy to allow and 
encourage all employees to bring matters which cause them concern 
to the attention of certain persons within the Company and, ultimately, 
to the attention of the Chairman.

Going concern 
The Board is required to assess whether the Group has adequate 
resources to continue operations for the foreseeable future. After 
making enquiries, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the 
Company and the Group will continue in operational existence for the 
foreseeable future (being a period of at least 12 months from the date of 
this report). For this reason, they continue to adopt the going concern 
basis for preparing the financial statements.

By order of the Board

Richard Rees
Director 
Creo House, Unit 2, Beaufort Park, Beaufort Park Way, Chepstow, 
Wales NP16 5UH

4 April 2019

Reserved matters
In 2017 the Board formally adopted a schedule of matters that are 
reserved for the Board to consider and, if thought appropriate,  
decide upon. These reserved matters relate to:
•  Strategy and oversight, including the approval of annual budgets;

•  Changes to the capital structure of the Company and the corporate 

structure of the Group;

•  Approval of financial statements and reports and any capital spend 

above agreed limits;

•  Approval of contracts outside of the ordinary course of the business;

•  Changes to Board and Committee membership;

•  Remuneration of Executive Directors and issues relating to share 

options;

•  Any delegation of authorities;

•  Governance; and

•  Approval of policies. 

Board Committees
The Board delegates certain duties to Board Committees, all of which 
operate within clearly defined terms of reference and, where applicable, 
in accordance with the Code. 

Audit Committee
The Audit Committee is chaired by John Bradshaw and its other 
member is Charles Spicer, each of whom are independent  
Non-Executive Directors. The Audit Committee seeks to ensure that 
the financial performance of the Company is properly reported on  
and reviewed. Its role includes monitoring the integrity of the financial 
statements of the Company (including annual and interim accounts  
and results announcements), reviewing internal control and risk 
management systems, reviewing any changes to accounting policies, 
reviewing and monitoring the extent of the non-audit services 
undertaken by external auditors and advising on their appointment.

The Board considers that the members of the Audit Committee have 
sufficient competence to understand, analyse and when necessary 
challenge the management accounts and public financial statements  
of the Company. The Company’s Auditor has unrestricted access to  
the Chairman of the Audit Committee. The Chief Financial Officer and  
a representative of the Auditor of the Company are normally invited to 
attend meetings of the Audit Committee.

During the period from 1 July 2017 to 31 December 2018 the Audit 
Committee met 4 times.

Remuneration Committee
The Remuneration Committee is chaired by Charles Spicer and its 
other member is John Bradshaw. The Remuneration Committee 
ensures that the Company’s remuneration policy and practice 
promotes, encourages and drives the long-term growth of shareholder 
value in an effective manner and in accordance with the Board’s 
strategy and policies. More particularly, the Remuneration Committee 
determines, within the agreed terms of reference, the Company’s policy 
on the remuneration packages of the Company’s Chief Executive, 
Chairman, the Executive Directors, the Company Secretary, senior 
managers and such other members of the executive management as  
it is designated to consider. The Remuneration Committee also has 
responsibility for determining (within the terms of the Company’s policy 
and in consultation with the Chairman and/or the Chief Executive 
Officer) the total individual remuneration package for each Executive 
Director, the Company Secretary and other designated senior 
executives (including bonuses, incentive payments and share options 
or other share awards). The remuneration of Non-Executive Directors 
will be a matter for the Chairman and Executive Directors of the Board. 
No Director or manager is allowed to partake in any discussions as to 
their own remuneration.

During the period from 1 July 2017 to 31 December 2018 the Remuneration 
Committee met 4 times. Details of the Remuneration Committee’s 
activities and recommendations are set out on pages 54 and 55.

BUILD TRUST

10. Communicate how the Company is governed and is 
performing by maintaining a dialogue with shareholders 
and other relevant stakeholders
We seek to maintain dialogue with shareholders and other relevant 
stakeholders through a number of channels. Our Annual Report and 
Accounts, full year and half year announcements are the primary 
sources of information for shareholders. These are supplemented  
by regular and appropriate RNS and RNS Reach announcements. 

The above, together with other relevant information on the Company, 
can be obtained from our website at investors.creomedical.com. 

The AGM offers an opportunity all shareholders to meet and have 
direct and meaningful discussions with the Board. We encourage 
shareholders to attend and participate in the AGM. In addition to our 
AGM, we seek to hold investor roadshows following the release of half 
and full year results and our Directors attend a number of investor and 
sector specific conferences which give smaller investors opportunity  
to speak with us. 

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

53

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:Directors’ Remuneration 

Report (unaudited)

54

GOVERNANCE

Directors’ Remuneration Report (unaudited)

Remuneration committee
The responsibilities of the Remuneration Committee are to advise upon and make recommendations  
to the Board on the Group’s remuneration policies and, within the framework established by the Board,  
to recommend the remuneration of the Executive Directors. The CEO and CFO are invited to attend meetings 
to discuss remuneration packages and bonus schemes for senior executives within the Group, as well as the 
awarding of share options to such persons under any share scheme adopted by the Group.

Charles Spicer chairs the Committee and John Bradshaw served on the Committee during the period.

The Remuneration Committee assesses the performance of the Executive Directors and other senior managers 
in the context of recommending their annual remuneration, bonus awards and share option grants to the Board 
for final determination. The remuneration of the Non-Executive Directors is recommended by the Executive 
Directors and takes account of the time spent on Board and Committee matters. The Board will make the final 
determination although no Director will participate in any discussion about his own remuneration.

An important objective of the Committee is to ensure that a competitive and appropriate base salary is paid 
to Directors and senior managers, together with incentive arrangements that are:
•  aligned with shareholders’ interests and with long-term business strategies;

•  measured against challenging and well-defined financial targets (which are set in advance); and

• 

transparent and without ‘soft’ non-financial targets which could otherwise allow undue discretion to 
award bonuses that do not reflect actual financial performance.

Remuneration policy
The main elements of the remuneration package for Executive Directors and senior management are:

Base annual salary
The base salary may be reviewed annually by the Remuneration Committee. In determining the base annual 
salary the Remuneration Committee takes into account several factors, including the current position and 
development of the Group, individual contribution, and market salaries for comparable organisations.

Discretionary annual and transaction bonus arrangements
All Executive Directors are eligible for a discretionary annual bonus which is paid in accordance with a bonus 
scheme developed by the Remuneration Committee. This takes into account performance against defined 
personal objectives and the financial performance of the Group. In certain circumstances, the Remuneration 
Committee may award a separate, specific transaction related bonus.

Share incentive schemes
The Group operates certain share option plans (further details of which are set out in Note 8 Share-based 
payments), under which certain Directors, employees, certain contractors and commercial partners have 
been granted options to subscribe for ordinary shares. All options are equity settled. The options are subject 
to service conditions and have varying vesting periods and exercise prices (depending on the time of grant). 
The Group has no legal or constructive obligation to repurchase or settle the options in cash.

Remuneration Policy for Non-Executive Directors
Non-Executive Directors are employed on letters of appointment which have an initial term of 1 year and  
then which may be terminated at any time by either party with 3 months’ notice.

Remuneration for Non-Executive Directors is set by the Executive Directors of the Board. Non-Executive 
Directors do not participate in bonus schemes. Charles Spicer and John Bradshaw have been awarded 
share options.

Directors’ remuneration
The remuneration of the Board Directors of Creo Medical Group plc during the 18-month period was:

(All figures £)

Executive:
Professor Christopher Hancock
Craig Gulliford
Richard Rees

Total executive

Non-Executive:
Charles Spicer
John Bradshaw
David Woods

Total Non-Executive

Salary
and taxable
benefits

Pension

Share-based
payments

18 months to
31 Dec 2018

12 months to
30 Jun 2017

603,178
791,519
578,887

26,000
10,507
12,375

334,003
441,736
335,937

963,181
1,243,762
927,199

307,297
561,076
388,563

1,973,584

48,882 1,111,676 3,134,142 1,256,936

97,500
52,500
–

150,000

–
–
–

–

28,495
18,996
–

125,995
71,496
–

48,878
22,227
–

47,491

197,491

71,105

Total Directors' remuneration

2,123,584

48,882 1,159,167 3,331,633 1,328,041

Pension contributions include salary and bonus payments contributed on a salary sacrifice basis during the 
year. Salary and taxable benefits include 2 annual bonuses and a transaction related bonus paid and/or 
accrued during the 18-month period. The transaction related bonus relating to the 2018 £48.5m share placing 
is accrued and paid over a 2-year period commencing September 2018. The share-based payment charge 
relates to share options issued by the Group. The charge for the year of £1,159,167 for Directors compares to 
the charge incurred by the Group in total for all employees and suppliers of £1,804,820.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:Directors’ shareholdings
The interests of the Directors holding office at 31 December 2018 in the shares of the Company, including 
family interests, were:

(All figures £)

Executive:
Professor Christopher Hancock
Craig Gulliford
Richard Rees

Total executive

Non-Executive:
Charles Spicer
John Bradshaw
David Woods

Total Non-Executive

Total Directors' shareholdings

31 Dec 2018
Number

31 Dec 2018
%

4,400,046
609,886
–

5,009,932

65,790
–
–

65,790

5,075,722

3.65%
0.51%
–

4.16%

0.05%
–
–

0.05%

4.21%

Directors’ interests in share options
Directors’ interests in share options, granted under either the Creo Medical Group plc Enterprise 
Management Incentive Share Option Scheme or the Creo Medical Group plc Unapproved Share Option 
Scheme, to acquire ordinary shares of £0.001 pence each in the Company at 31 December 2018 were:

Granted
during
year

Exercised
during
year

31 Dec 2018
Number

Vested
but
unexercised

(All figures £)

Executive:
Professor Christopher Hancock
Professor Christopher Hancock
Professor Christopher Hancock
Professor Christopher Hancock
Professor Christopher Hancock

30 Jun 2017
Number

417,240
72,000
1,184,210
–
–

–
–
–
107,914
268,293

Craig Gulliford
Craig Gulliford
Craig Gulliford
Craig Gulliford
Craig Gulliford

1,673,450

376,207

540,000
936,000
1,578,948
–
–

–
–
–
143,885
325,203

3,054,948

469,088

Exercise
price

16.67p
16.67p
76.00p
113.00p
153.75p

16.67p
16.67p
76.00p
113.00p
153.75p

–
–
–
–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–

–

417,240
72,000
1,184,210
107,914
268,293

417,240
72,000
–
–
–

2,049,657

489,240

540,000
936,000
1,578,948
143,885
325,203

540,000
936,000
–
–
–

3,524,036

1,476,000

Executive continued:
Richard Rees
Richard Rees
Richard Rees
Richard Rees

288,000
1,184,210
–
–

–
–
118,705
268,293

1,472,210

386,998

–
–
–
–

–

288,000
1,184,210
118,705
268,293

288,000
–
–
–

1,859,208

288,000

16.67p
76.00p
113.00p
153.75p

Total executive

6,200,608 1,232,293

– 7,432,901 2,253,240

Non-Executive:
Charles Spicer

John Bradshaw
John Bradshaw

Total Non-Executive

118,421

27,000
78,947

105,947

224,368

–

–
–

–

–

–

–
–

–

–

118,421

–

76.00p

27,000
78,947

105,947

27,000
–

27,000

224,368

27,000

21.39p
76.00p

Total Directors' shareholdings 6,424,976 1,232,293

– 7,657,269 2,280,240

All share options are subject to employment conditions, those issued on or post Listing at 76p, 113p and 
153.75p are also subject to performance conditions.

Other transactions that occurred with Directors during the year are detailed in Note 23 to the financial 
statements under Related Party Transactions.

Charles Spicer
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee
4 April 2019

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

55

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

Page Title at start:Content Section at start: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
56

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:Financial Statements

FINANCIAL  
STATEMENTS

Financial Statements

Independent Auditor’s Report 

Consolidated Statement of Profit and Loss 
and Other Comprehensive Income 

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position 

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity 

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows 

Notes to the Financial Statements 

Parent Company Statement of Financial Position 

Parent Company Statement of Changes in Equity 

58

62

62

63

63

64

78

79

Notes to the Parent Company Financial Statements  79

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

57

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:Independent Auditor’s 

Report

58

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Independent Auditor’s Report

2.  Key audit matters: our assessment of risks of material misstatement
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgement, were of most significance in the audit of the financial statements and include 
the most significant assessed risks of material misstatement (whether or not due to fraud) identified by us, including those which had the greatest 
effect on: the overall audit strategy; the allocation of resources in the audit; and directing the efforts of the engagement team. These matters were 
addressed in the context of our audit of the financial statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate 
opinion on these matters. In arriving at our audit opinion above, the key audit matters, were as follows:

The risk

Our response

The impact of 
uncertainties 
due to the UK 
exiting the 
European Union 
on our audit 

Refer to page 39 
(principal risks) 
and page 65 
(accounting 
policy). 

Unprecedented levels of uncertainty:
All audits assess and challenge the reasonableness of 
estimates, in particular as described in treatment of 
development costs below, and related disclosures and the 
appropriateness of the going concern basis of preparation of 
the financial statements. All of these depend on assessments  
of the future economic environment and the Group’s future 
prospects and performance. 

Brexit is one of the most significant economic events for the  
UK and at the date of this report its effects are subject to 
unprecedented levels of uncertainty of outcomes, with the full 
range of possible effects unknown. 

We developed a standardised firm-wide approach to the 
consideration of the uncertainties arising from Brexit in planning 
and performing our audits. Our procedures included:

•  Our Brexit knowledge: We considered the Directors’ 
assessment of Brexit-related sources of risk for the 
Group’s business and financial resources compared with 
our own understanding of the risks. We considered the 
Directors’ plans to take action to mitigate the risks. 

•  Sensitivity analysis: When addressing Development 
costs and other areas that depend on forecasts, we 
compared the Directors’ analysis to our assessment of 
the full range of reasonably possible scenarios resulting 
from Brexit uncertainty and, where forecast cash flows 
are required to be discounted, considered adjustments to 
discount rates for the level of remaining uncertainty. 

•  Assessing transparency: As well as assessing 

individual disclosures as part of our procedures on 
Development costs we considered all of the Brexit related 
disclosures together, including those in the Strategic 
Report, comparing the overall picture against our 
understanding of the risks. 

However, no audit should be expected to predict the 
unknowable factors or all possible future implications for a 
company and this is particularly the case in relation to Brexit.

1.  Our opinion is unmodified
We have audited the financial statements of Creo Medical Group plc 
(“the Company”) for the 18 month period ended 31 December 2018 
which comprise the Consolidated Statement of Profit and Loss and 
Other Comprehensive Income, Consolidated Statement of Financial 
Position, Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity, Consolidated 
Statement of Cash Flows, Parent Company Statement of Financial 
Position, Parent Company Statement of Changes in Equity, and the 
related notes, including the accounting policies in Note 1.
In our opinion: 
• 

the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of the 
Group’s and of the parent Company’s affairs as at 31 December 
2018 and of the Group’s loss for the period then ended; 

• 

• 

• 

the Group financial statements have been properly prepared in 
accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as 
adopted by the European Union (IFRSs as adopted by the EU); 

the parent Company financial statements have been properly 
prepared in accordance with UK accounting standards, including 
FRS 101 Reduced Disclosure Framework; and 

the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with  
the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion 
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards  
on Auditing (UK) (“ISAs (UK)”) and applicable law. Our responsibilities 
are described below. We have fulfilled our ethical responsibilities under, 
and are independent of the Group in accordance with, UK ethical 
requirements including the FRC Ethical Standard as applied to listed 
entities. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is a 
sufficient and appropriate basis for our opinion. 

Materiality:  
Group financial statements 
as a whole

Coverage

Key audit matters vs 2017 

£120,000 (2017: £65,000) 0.75%  
(2017: 0.7%) of total expenditure

100% (2017:100%) of Group loss  
before tax

Recurring risks 

Treatment of development costs  

Event driven 

New: Recoverability of parent’s 
debt due from Group entity

New: The impact of uncertainties 
due to the UK exiting the 
European Union on our audit 





Page Title at start:Content Section at start:The risk

Our response

Treatment of 
development 
costs

(£150,000 
capitalised and 
£3,794,000 
expensed; 2017: 
£nil capitalised 
and £3,583,000 
expensed).

Refer to page 68  
(accounting 
policy) and  
Note 12 page 73 
(financial 
disclosures).

Accounting application:
The group aims to develop cutting-edge surgical endoscopy 
products. Development costs are capitalised in accordance 
with the relevant accounting standards when specific criteria 
are met. The Directors assess progress of the Group’s 
development projects against these criteria and, based on this 
assessment, determined that at the period end the criteria had 
been met in relation to the Group’s Speedboat device and 
CROMA Advanced Energy platform projects. 

For the CROMA and Speedboat devices the Directors 
determined that due to regulatory approval, the number of 
physicians trained, successful in-patient procedures performed 
and a clear route to market established through collaboration 
agreements initiated in the period, there was sufficient evidence 
to support technical feasibility and commercial viability. 
Therefore, development costs related to progressing the 
devices to a Minimal Viable Product have been capitalised. 

For other ongoing development projects, some of which have 
achieved technical feasibility, it was determined that, at this 
stage the projects are not yet suitably progressed to provide 
sufficient probability of economic benefit. 

The amounts involved are potentially significant, and the 
application of the relevant accounting standards to determine 
the point at which costs are capitalised is inherently subjective 
as the criteria involves an assessment of the probability of  
future outcomes.

Our procedures included: 
•  Accounting analysis: We critically assessed the 

determination of whether or not costs on a project should 
be capitalised against the criteria of the relevant 
accounting standard and our understanding of the 
progress of the group’s projects.

•  Tests of detail: We obtained an understanding of the 
progress of projects through procedures including: 
obtained evidence of the current status of related 
regulatory approvals, the status of physicians trained in 
specific regions and the number and success of in-patient 
procedures performed. We also assessed the existence of 
and inspected the terms of the collaboration agreements in 
place in relation to the capitalised projects. 

•  Assessing transparency: We evaluated the adequacy of 
the disclosures of the judgements involved compared with 
the requirements of the accounting standards and our 
understanding of the business.

Recoverability 
of parent’s debt 
due from Group 
entity 

Forecast-based valuation
The carrying amount of the Group debtor balance is significant 
and at risk of irrecoverability due to the subsidiary being in the 
early stage of its development and trading activity and therefore 
not currently having sufficient net assets and profitability. 

Our procedures included: 
•  Benchmarking assumptions: Challenging the 

assumptions used in the cash flows included in the 
budgets based on our knowledge of the Group and the 
markets in which the subsidiaries operate;

(£23.9 million; 
2017: £6.0 
million).

Refer to pages  
79 to 80 
(accounting 
policy and 
financial 
disclosures).

The estimated recoverable amount of the balance is subjective 
due to the inherent uncertainty in forecasting trading conditions 
and cash flows used in the budgets.

•  Historical comparisons: Assessing the reasonableness 

of the budgets by considering the historical accuracy of the 
previous forecasts in relation to costs;

The effect of these matters is that, as part of our risk 
assessment, we determined that the recoverable amount of the 
group debtor has a high degree of estimation uncertainty, with 
a potential range of reasonable outcomes greater than our 
materiality for the financial statements as a whole, and possibly 
many times that amount. 

•  Our sector experience: Evaluating the current level of 

trading, including identifying any indications of a downturn 
in activity, by examining the post year end management 
accounts and considering our knowledge of the Group and 
the market; and

•  Assessing transparency: Assessing the adequacy of the 
parent Company’s disclosures in respect of the Group 
debtor balance.

We continue to perform procedures over going concern. However, following the successful funding round in July 2018, the Group secured sufficient 
funding to operate until at least 2021 without having to obtain further funding, therefore reducing the risk of non-going concern basis, we have not 
assessed this as one of the most significant risks in our current year audit and, therefore, it is not separately identified in our report this year.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

59

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:3.  Our application of materiality and an overview of the 
scope of our audit 
Materiality for the Group financial statements as a whole was set at 
£120,000 (2017: £65,000), determined with reference to a benchmark  
of Group total expenditure, of which it represents 0.67% (2017: Group 
total expenditure, of which it represents 0.70%). We consider total 
expenditure to be the most appropriate benchmark as the entity is still 
within the start-up phase of the business cycle. 

Materiality for the parent Company financial statements as a whole  
was set at £108,000 (2017: £50,000). This is lower than the materiality 
we would otherwise have determined by reference to total assets,  
and represents 0.2% of the Company’s total assets (2017: 0.3%).

60

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Independent Auditor’s Report  
continued

Total expenditure expenses
£17.9m (2017: £9.2m)

Group Materiality
£120,000 (2017: £65,000)

£120,000
Whole financial 
statements materiality
(2017: £65,000)

£108,000
Range of materiality at 
2 components 
(£100,00-£108,000) 
(2017: £50,000)

£6,000
Misstatements reported 
to the Audit Committee
(2017: £2,500)

We agreed to report to the Audit Committee any corrected or 
uncorrected identified misstatements exceeding £6,000 (2017: £2,500), 
in addition to other identified misstatements that warranted reporting 
on qualitative grounds.

Total expenses
Group materiality

Of the Group’s 4 (2017: 2) reporting components, which include the 
parent Company, we subjected 2 (2017: 2) to full scope audits for Group 
reporting purposes.

The components within the scope of our work accounted for the 
following percentages of the Group’s results. The work on both 
components, including the audit of the parent Company, was 
performed at the Company’s head office in Chepstow by the  
Group team.

For the residual 2 components, we performed analysis at an 
aggregated Group level to re-examine our assessment that there  
were no significant risks of material misstatement within these. 

4.  We have nothing to report on going concern
The Directors have prepared the financial statements on the going 
concern basis as they do not intend to liquidate the Company or the 
Group or to cease their operations, and as they have concluded that  
the Company’s and the Group’s financial position means that this  
is realistic. They have also concluded that there are no material 
uncertainties that could have cast significant doubt over their ability  
to continue as a going concern for at least a year from the date of 
approval of the financial statements (“the going concern period”). 

Group revenue

Group profit before tax

0
0

100%

(2017: 100%)

100
100

Group total assets

0
0

100%

(2017: 100%)

100
100

0
0

100%

(2017: 100%)

100
100

Full scope for Group audit purpose 2018
Full scope for Group audit purpose 2017
Residual components

Our responsibility is to conclude on the appropriateness of the 
Directors’ conclusions and, had there been a material uncertainty 
related to going concern, to make reference to that in this audit report. 
However, as we cannot predict all future events or conditions and as 
subsequent events may result in outcomes that are inconsistent with 
judgements that were reasonable at the time they were made, the 
absence of reference to a material uncertainty in this auditor’s report  
is not a guarantee that the Group or the Company will continue in 
operation. 

In our evaluation of the Directors’ conclusions, we considered the 
inherent risks to the Group’s and Company’s business model and 
analysed how those risks might affect the Group’s and Company’s 
financial resources or ability to continue operations over the going 
concern period. The risks that we considered most likely to adversely 
affect the Group’s and Company’s available financial resources over 
this period were: 
•  Availability of cash resources.

•  Achievement of forecasts.

As these were risks that could potentially cast significant doubt on  
the Group’s and the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, 
we considered sensitivities over the level of available financial 
resources indicated by the Group’s financial forecasts taking account  
of reasonably possible (but not unrealistic) adverse effects that could 
arise from these risks individually and collectively and evaluated the 
achievability of the actions the Directors consider they would take to 
improve the position should the risks materialise. We also considered 
less predictable but realistic second order impacts, such as the impact 
of Brexit and the erosion of customer or supplier confidence, which 
could result in a rapid reduction of available financial resources.

Based on this work, we are required to report to you if we have 
concluded that the use of the going concern basis of accounting is 
inappropriate or there is an undisclosed material uncertainty that may 
cast significant doubt over the use of that basis for a period of at least  
a year from the date of approval of the financial statements. 

We have nothing to report in these respects, and we did not identify 
going concern as a key audit matter.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:5.  We have nothing to report on the other information in 
the Annual Report
The directors are responsible for the other information presented in  
the Annual Report together with the financial statements. Our opinion 
on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, 
accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion or, except as explicitly 
stated below, any form of assurance conclusion thereon. 

Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, 
consider whether, based on our financial statements audit work,  
the information therein is materially misstated or inconsistent with the 
financial statements or our audit knowledge. Based solely on that work 
we have not identified material misstatements in the other information.

7.  Respective responsibilities 
Directors’ responsibilities 
As explained more fully in their statement set out on page 49,  
the Directors are responsible for: the preparation of the financial 
statements including being satisfied that they give a true and fair  
view; such internal control as they determine is necessary to enable  
the preparation of financial statements that are free from material 
misstatement, whether due to fraud or error; assessing the Group and, 
parent Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing,  
as applicable, matters related to going concern; and using the going 
concern basis of accounting unless they either intend to liquidate the 
Group or the parent Company or to cease operations, or have no 
realistic alternative but to do so. 

8.  The purpose of our audit work and to whom we owe 
our responsibilities
This report is made solely to the Company’s members, as a body,  
in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. 
Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the 
Company’s members those matters we are required to state to them  
in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent 
permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone 
other than the Company and the Company’s members, as a body,  
for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Auditor’s responsibilities 
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the 
financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, 
whether due to fraud or error, and to issue our opinion in an auditor’s 
report. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but does not 
guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will 
always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can 
arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in 
aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic 
decisions of users taken on the basis of the financial statements. 

A fuller description of our responsibilities is provided on the FRC’s 
website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. 

Jeremy Thomas 
(Senior Statutory Auditor) 
for and on behalf of KPMG LLP, Statutory Auditor 
Chartered Accountants 
3 Assembly Square, Britannia Quay, Cardiff CF10 4AX
4 April 2019

Strategic Report and Directors’ Report 
Based solely on our work on the other information: 
•  we have not identified material misstatements in the Strategic 

Report and the Directors’ Report; 

• 

• 

in our opinion the information given in those reports for the financial 
year is consistent with the financial statements; and 

in our opinion those reports have been prepared in accordance with 
the Companies Act 2006. 

6.  We have nothing to report on the other matters on 
which we are required to report by exception 
Under the Companies Act 2006, we are required to report to you if,  
in our opinion: 
•  adequate accounting records have not been kept by the parent 

Company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received 
from branches not visited by us; or 

• 

the parent Company financial statements are not in agreement with 
the accounting records and returns; or 

•  certain disclosures of Directors’ remuneration specified by law are 

not made; or 

•  we have not received all the information and explanations we 

require for our audit.

We have nothing to report in these respects.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

61

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:Consolidated Statement of Profit 

Consolidated Statement of Financial 

and Loss 

Position

and Other Comprehensive Income

62

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Consolidated Statement of Profit and Loss 
and Other Comprehensive Income

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position

(All figures £)

Revenue
Cost of sales

Gross Loss

Other operating income
Administrative expenses

Operating loss

Finance expenses
Finance income

Loss before tax

Taxation

Loss for the period/year

Note

2

2

9
9

3

18 months to
31 Dec 2018

12 months to
30 Jun 2017

–
–

–

–
–

–

279,959
(17,943,745)

277,687
(9,180,753)

(17,663,786)

(8,903,066)

(16,744)
104,343

(10,721)
5,337

(17,576,187)

(8,908,450)

(All figures £)

Assets
Non-current assets
Intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment
Other financial assets
Other non-current receivables

Current assets
Inventories
Trade and other receivables
Tax receivable
Cash and cash equivalents

10

2,767,579

1,142,933

Total assets

(14,808,608)

(7,765,517)

Other comprehensive income

–

–

Total comprehensive loss for the period/year

(14,808,608)

(7,765,517)

Earnings per Share
Basic and diluted

11

(0.16)

(0.13)

The Notes on pages 64 to 80 form part of the financial statements.

Shareholder equity
Called up share capital
Share premium
Merger reserve
Share option reserve
Retained earnings

Liabilities
Non-current liabilities
Interest bearing liabilities

Current liabilities
Trade and other payables
Interest bearing liabilities

Total liabilities

Total equity and liabilities

Note

31 Dec 2018

30 Jun 2017

12
13
18
15

14
15
16

21
21
21
21
21

19

17
19

307,814
906,256
10,857
8,400

1,233,327

302,472
1,052,766
2,569,631
44,588,722

10,896
325,019
–
14,853

350,768

91,333
542,914
1,449,976
13,688,762

48,513,591

15,772,985

49,746,918

16,123,753

120,495
65,835,555
13,602,735
3,093,070
(34,938,040)

80,712
19,810,393
13,602,735
1,288,250
(20,129,432)

47,713,815

14,652,658

392,892

392,892

1,448

1,448

1,599,620
40,591

1,455,874
13,773

1,640,211

1,469,647

2,033,103

1,471,095

49,746,918

16,123,753

These financial statements were approved by the board of directors on 4 April 2019 and were signed on its 
behalf by:

Richard Rees
Director

Company registered number: 10371794

The Notes on pages 64 to 80 form part of 
the financial statements.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start: 
 
 
 
 
Consolidated Statement of 

Consolidated Statement of 

Changes in Equity

Cash Flows

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

(All figures £)

Called up
share
capital

Note

Retained
earnings

Share
premium

Merger
reserve

Share
option
reserve

Total 
equity

Balance at 30 June 2016

1,436

(12,363,915)

– 13,480,175

511,468 1,629,164

Total comprehensive income 
for the period
Profit or loss

Total comprehensive income

Transactions with owners, 
recorded directly in equity
Issue of share capital
Bonus issue of share capital
Issue of share capital
Equity settled share-based 
payment transactions

–

–

(7,765,517)

(7,765,517)

–

–

–

–

–

–

(7,765,517)

(7,765,517)

19
50,950
28,307

–
–
–
(50,950)
– 19,861,343

122,560
–
–

122,579
–
–
–
– 19,889,650

–

–

–

–

776,782

776,782

Balance at 30 June 2017

80,712

(20,129,432) 19,810,393 13,602,735 1,288,250 14,652,658

Total comprehensive income 
for the period
Profit or loss

Total comprehensive income

Transactions with owners, 
recorded directly in equity
Issue of share capital
Equity settled share-based 
payment transactions

–

–

(14,808,608)

(14,808,608)

–

–

39,783

– 46,025,162

–

–

–

– (14,808,608)

– (14,808,608)

– 46,064,945

8

–

–

–

– 1,804,820

1,804,820

Balance at 31 December 2018

  120,495 (34,938,040) 65,835,555 13,602,735 3,093,070 47,713,815

The Notes on pages 64 to 80 form part of the financial statements.

(All figures £)

Cash flows from operating activities
Total comprehensive loss for the period
Depreciation/amortisation charges
Increase in share option reserve
Fair value adjustment to derivatives
Finance expenses
Finance income
R&D expenditure credit
Taxation
Loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment

Increase in inventories
Increase in trade and other receivables
Increase in trade and other payables

Interest paid
Tax received

Net cash from operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities
Purchase of intangible fixed assets
Purchase of tangible fixed assets
Interest received

Net cash from investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities
Capital received in respect of finance lease liabilities
Capital repaid in respect of finance lease liabilities
Capital received in respect of long-term borrowings
Share issue

Net cash from financing activities

Increase in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

Note

18 months to
31 Dec 2018

12 months to
30 Jun 2017

10
13

14

12
13

22

(14,808,608)
497,421
1,804,820
(10,857)
16,744
(93,486)
(18,602)
(2,767,579)
12,278

(7,765,517)
142,423
776,782
7,402
3,319
(5,337)
(17,067)
(1,142,933)
–

(15,367,869)

(8,000,928)

(211,139)
(514,256)
143,746

(91,333)
(65,564)
693,887

(15,949,518)

(7,463,938)

(16,744)
1,666,525

(3,319)
552,490

(14,299,737)

(6,914,767)

(304,462)
(1,083,391)
104,343

(1,264)
(224,450)
5,337

(1,283,510)

(220,377)

121,595
(45,333)
342,000
46,064,945

–
(11,606)
–
20,012,229

46,483,207

20,000,623

30,899,960

12,865,479

13,688,762

823,283

44,588,722

13,688,762

The Notes on pages 64 to 80 form part of the financial statements.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

63

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

Page Title at start:Content Section at start: 
 
Notes to the Financial 

Statements

64

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Notes to the Financial Statements

1. Accounting policies
General information
Creo Medical Group plc is a public company, limited by shares, registered and domiciled in England  
and Wales in the UK. The Company’s registered number is 10371794 and the registered office is Unit 2,  
Creo House, Beaufort Park, Beaufort Park Way, Chepstow, Wales, NP16 5UH.

The Group financial statements consolidate those of the parent Company and its subsidiaries (together 
referred to as the “Group”). The Parent Company financial statements present information about Creo 
Medical Group plc as a separate entity and not about its group.

The Group financial statements have been prepared and approved by the Directors in accordance with 
International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union (“adopted IFRSs”). The 
Company has elected to prepare its Parent Company financial statements in accordance with FRS 101. The 
accounting policies set out below have, unless otherwise stated, been applied consistently to all periods 
presented in these group financial statements.

Basis of preparation
This is the second annual financial report of the Company since the incorporation of Creo Medical Group plc 
on 12 September 2016 and the subsequent acquisition of Creo Medical Limited via a share for share exchange 
on 9 November 2016. The financial statements are presented in Sterling and rounded to the nearest pound.

This financial report for the 18-month period ended 31 December 2018 (including comparatives for the  
12 months ended 30 June 2017) was approved by the Board of Directors on 4 April 2019. The accounting 
reference date was extended from 30 June 2018 to 31 December 2018 giving an 18-month period ending  
31 December 2018. This change was to align the accounting reference date to the annual calendar and our 
annual budgeting process.

Changes in accounting policy and disclosures
New standards, amendments and interpretations
The following new standards, amendments and interpretations have been adopted by the Group for the first 
time for the financial year beginning on 1 July 2017: 
•  Annual improvements 2014 – 2016 cycle

•  Amendment to IFRS 2, ‘Share-based payments’ which clarifies the classification and measurement of 

certain share-based payment transactions

• 

IFRS 15 ‘Revenue from contracts with customers’

•  Amendments to IAS 40, ‘Investment Property’ which clarifies that transfers to, or from, investment 

property can only be made if there has been a change in use that is supported by evidence 

• 

Interpretation 22 ‘Foreign Currency Transactions and Advance Consideration’ which clarifies how to 
determine the date of transaction for the exchange rate to be used on initial recognition of a related asset, 
expense or income where an entity pays or receives consideration in advance for foreign currency-
denominated contracts. 

The adoption of these standards, amendments and interpretations has not had a material impact on the 
financial statements of the Group or parent Company. In reference to IFRS 15, the Group has not identified 
any contracts which are in the scope of IFRS 15 as disclosed per Note 2.

New standards, amendments and interpretations issued but not effective and not adopted early
The following new standards, amendments to standards and interpretations have been issued but not  
yet effective and therefore have not been applied in preparing these consolidate financial statements. 
• 

IFRS 9 ‘Financial instruments’ effective 1 January 2019 (effective date for annual periods beginning on  
or after 1 January 2018).

• 

• 

IFRS 16 ‘Leases’ effective for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019.

IFRS 17 ‘Insurance contracts’ effective for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019.

•  Amendments to IAS 19 ‘Employee Benefits’ which clarifies the accounting for defined benefit plan 

amendments, curtailments and settlements. Effective for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019.

•  Amendment to IAS 28 ‘Investments in associates and joint ventures’ which clarifies the accounting for 

long-term interests in an associate or joint venture, which in substance form part of the net investment in 
the associate or joint venture, but to which equity accounting is not applied. Effective for periods 
beginning on or after 1 January 2019.

•  Amendments to IFRS 10 ‘Consolidated financial statements’ and IAS 28 ‘Investments in associates and 
joint ventures’ which clarifies the accounting treatment for sales or contribution of assets between an 
investor and its associates or joint ventures. Effective for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019.

• 

Interpretation 23 ‘Uncertainty over Income Tax Treatments’ which explains how to recognise and measure 
deferred and current income tax assets and liabilities where there is uncertainty over a tax treatment. 
Effective for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019.

The Directors anticipate that none of the new standards, amendments to standards and interpretations is 
expected to have a significant effect on the financial statements of the Group or parent Company, except for 
IFRS 16 ‘Leases’.

IFRS 16 Leases
In February 2016, IASB issued IFRS 16, Leases, which sets out the principles for the recognition, 
measurement, presentation and disclosure of leases for both parties to a contact (i.e., lessees and lessors).

The standard introduces a new lease model that will require most leases to be recorded on balance sheet 
and eliminates the required use of tests in current IFRS for determining lease classification. The new standard 
requires lessors to account for leases using an approach that is substantially equivalent to existing guidance 
for sales-type leases, direct financing leases and operating leases.

The Group will adopt the standard effective 1 January 2019 (the effective date) using the optional transition 
method to not apply the new lease standard in the comparative periods presented and will elect the “practical 
expedient package”, which permits the Group not to reassess prior conclusions about lease identification, 
lease classification, and initial direct costs. IFRS 16 also provides practical expedients for the Group’s  
ongoing accounting. 

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:1. Accounting policies continued
The Group currently expects to elect the short-term lease recognition exemption for all leases that qualify.  
As such, for those leases that qualify, the Group will not recognise Right of Use assets or lease liabilities as 
part of the transition adjustment or in the future.

The Group assessed implementing changes to its systems, processes and controls in conjunction with a 
review of existing lease agreements. To determine the Group’s lease population, a review of the leases 
included in the current IAS 17 minimum lease payments disclosure as well as supplier contracts for potential 
embedded leases was completed. The Group has determined that the adoption of IFRS 16 primarily relates to 
its property leases.

The Group expects the adoption of IFRS 16 will have a material impact on its consolidated balance sheet as 
its rights and obligations from its existing operating leases will be recognised on the balance sheet as assets 
and liabilities. As of 31 December 2018, the Group’s undiscounted minimum lease commitments under 
non-cancellable operating leases was £510,823.

Based on currently available information, the Group expects to recognise operating lease liabilities and 
Right-of-Use assets of £463,654 and £463,654, respectively. The expected operating lease liabilities were 
calculated on the present value of the remaining minimum lease payments for existing operating leases as  
of 31 December 2018.

Measurement convention
The financial statements are prepared on the historical cost basis except that derivative financial instruments 
are stated at their fair value.

Business combinations and basis of consolidation
On 9 November 2016 Creo Medical Group plc offered a share for share exchange to the shareholders of  
Creo Medical Limited. As a result of this transaction, Creo Medical Group plc became the parent of Creo  
Medical Limited.

On the basis that there was no change in control following the share for share exchange, this is considered a 
common control transaction.

Therefore, within the Parent Company accounts the acquisition of Creo Medical Limited, the new parent 
measured cost at the carrying amount of its share of the equity items shown in the separate financial 
statements of the original parent at the date of the reorganisation. Within the consolidated financial 
statements, the acquisition of Creo Medical Limited is considered to be a company reorganisation among 
entities under common control and as such IFRS 3 is not considered to apply, therefore book value 
accounting has been applied to the acquisition. The Directors have chosen to restate the comparatives for 
the Company prior to the acquisition date to show the combination as though it has occurred prior to the 
start of the earliest period presented. This is deemed to provide the user with a truer view of the Company’s 
performance through the period.

Accounting policies adopted are consistent across the Group. All intra-group balances and transactions, including 
unrealised income and expenses arising from intra-group transactions, are eliminated on consolidation.

Going concern
The Group reported a loss for the period of £14.8m (12 months to 30 June 2017: loss £7.8m). Net assets as  
at 31 December 2018 were £47.7m (30 June 2017: £14.7m) and include cash and cash equivalents of £44.6m 
(30 June 2017: £13.7m). 

The Board has considered the applicability of the going concern basis in the preparation of the financial 
statements. This included the review of internal budgets and financial results and a review of cash flow 
forecasts for the 12-month period following the date of signing the financial statements. 

The Group has prepared detailed forecasts and projections taking into account the available funding and its 
planned activities for the 5-year period to 31 December 2023. Based on the current business plan the Group 
is forecasting to be cash generative (and profitable) within this period and its cash resources will extend to 
the year ending 31 December 2022. Therefore, further funding may be required in the medium-term to 
support the Group in reaching sustainable profitability. The level of additional funds required (if any) will be 
dependent upon the Group’s performance against forecasts, and the level of income generated from seeding 
and sales activity, which itself is dependent on the commercialisation of current products and the 
development and commercialisation of further electrosurgical medical devices currently in the pipeline and 
based on the already developed CROMA Advanced Energy platform. 

The Group completed a £48.5m share placing on AIM on 30 August 2018 which has provided the financial 
resources required to support the Group’s ongoing operations as well as its future development and growth 
for the next 3-4 years at the current level of activity and spend. Further, the Group has entered into strategic 
collaboration agreements with distributors in a number of geographies and commenced delivering product, 
ahead of schedule, for training and market penetration purposes. This is expected to be followed by a period 
of ramp up as market penetration activities are currently leading to physical sales being realised in FY2019.

The Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Group will be able to raise further equity, or secure 
other financing, in the medium-term to support its ongoing development and commercialisation activities. 
However, there can be no guarantee that the Group will continue to complete the development and regulatory 
clearances required, that the Group will be able to raise sufficient funding from existing and new investors 
and/or secure financing facilities in the medium-term, nor that the Group will be successful with its current 
market penetration collaborations. In the event that commercialisation of existing products is slower than 
expected or that additional funding in the medium-term is delayed, the Directors consider that the Group 
would be able to reduce expenditure on its development programmes in order to continue funding its 
operations until additional financing is secured. 

The Group continues to monitor the progress of the UK’s departure from the EU and take steps that are 
necessary to continue to have access to the EU market. The Directors do not expect any significant impact on 
the Group from the UK’s departure from the EU.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

65

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:66

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Notes to the Financial Statements 
continued

1. Accounting policies continued
The Board remains confident of its ability to continue with the development, the process of obtaining 
regulatory approvals and the commercialisation of its products. Based on these factors, including the current 
level of cash resources, the Directors are satisfied that the Group will have adequate resources to continue  
in operational existence for the foreseeable future and for a period of not less than 12 months from the date  
of signing the financial statements. Thus, they continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in 
preparing the Annual Report.

Intangible assets
Intangible assets include the capitalisation of development costs and software for the period ending 
31 December 2018.

Software which is not an integral part of hardware assets is stated at historic cost, including expenditure  
that is directly attributable to the acquired item, less accumulated amortisation and impairment losses.

Expenditure on research activities is recognised as an expense in the year in which it is incurred. Costs are 
classified as research expenditure rather than development unless all of the below criteria are met, in which 
case these costs are capitalised on balance sheet.

Development criteria:
a.  completion of the intangible asset is technically feasible so that it will be available for use or sale;
b.  the Company intends to complete the intangible asset and use or sell it;
c.  the Company has the ability to use or sell the intangible asset and the intangible asset will generate 

probable future economic benefits over and above cost;

d.  there are adequate technical, financial and other resources to complete the development and to use or  

sell the intangible asset; and

e.  the expenditure attributable to the intangible asset during its development can be measured reliably.

Amortisation commences when the project is available for sale or use within the business.

Intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that  
the carrying amount may not be recoverable. An impairment loss is recognised for the amount by which the 
asset’s carrying amount exceeds its recoverable amount. The recoverable amount is the higher of an asset’s 
fair value less costs of disposal and value in use.

Amortisation is charged so as to write off the costs of intangible assets over their estimated useful lives, on 
the following basis:
Software    
Development costs 

– 3 years straight line
– 5 years straight line from first paid revenue of products

Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and any impairment losses. 
Cost includes the original purchase price of the asset and the costs attributable to bringing the asset to its 
working condition for its intended use.

Leases in which the Group assumes substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of the leased asset 
are classified as finance leases. Where land and buildings are held under leases the accounting treatment of 
the land is considered separately from that of the buildings. Leased assets acquired by way of finance lease 
are stated at an amount equal to the lower of their fair value and the present value of the minimum lease 
payments at inception of the lease, less accumulated depreciation and less accumulated impairment losses. 
Lease payments are accounted for as described below.

Depreciation is charged so as to write off the costs of assets over their estimated useful lives, on the  
following basis:
Leasehold property improvements 
Office equipment 
Fixtures and fittings   
Motor vehicles 
Plant and machinery  

– 3 years straight line
– 2, 3 or 4 years straight line
– 3 or 4 years straight line
– 4 years straight line
– 3 years straight line or 4 years reducing balance 

The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between sales proceeds 
and the carrying amount of the asset and is recognised in income on the transfer of the risks and rewards  
of ownership.

The Company has no class of tangible fixed asset that has been revalued. On transition to IFRS the net book 
values recorded at 1 March 2013 have been applied and these are based on historic cost at the date  
of acquisition.

Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Cost is based on First In, First Out (FIFO) 
principle using standard costing techniques and includes expenditure incurred in acquiring the inventories, 
production or conversion costs and other costs in bringing them to their existing location and condition.

Financial instruments
The Company predominantly enters into basic financial instrument transactions that result in the recognition 
of financial assets and liabilities like trade and other accounts receivable and payable, loans from other third 
parties, loans to related parties and investments in non-puttable financial instruments. Any transactions 
relating to share options issued by the entity are disclosed in the share-based payment accounting policy  
and note. The Company is also able to enter into a variety of derivative financial instruments to manage its 
exposure to foreign exchange risk, including foreign exchange forward contracts and cross currency swaps.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. Accounting policies continued
Trade and other receivables
Trade and other receivables are recognised initially at fair value. Subsequent to initial recognition they are 
measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method, less any impairment losses.

Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash balances and call deposits. Bank overdrafts that are repayable on 
demand and form an integral part of the Company’s cash management are included as a component of cash 
and cash equivalents for the purpose only of the cash flow statement.

Trade and other payables
Trade and other payables are recognised initially at fair value. Subsequent to initial recognition they are 
measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

The Company incurs research and development expenditure which qualifies for Research and Development 
(R&D) tax relief and as such, prepares and submits an R&D claim to HMRC in relation to each accounting 
period. The claims are made on the basis that the Company and its activities meet the necessary conditions.

As the Company is currently loss making, there is no corporation tax liability arising, therefore it has chosen to 
convert the tax relief into payable tax credits instead of carrying forward a loss. This results in the credit being 
paid in cash directly to the Company following the submission of a valid claim.

The Company is claiming R&D tax relief predominately under the small or medium sized enterprises (‘SME’) 
scheme therefore the credit is accounted for as tax in accordance with IAS 12 Income Taxes. However, where 
the R&D expenditure is related to monies received from research grants, the Company is claiming an R&D 
expenditure credit (‘RDEC’) under the Large Company Scheme and as such the related credit is accounted 
for ‘above the line’ in accordance with IAS 20 Accounting for Government Grants, specifically as a reduction 
from the related expenditure in the statement of comprehensive income.

Interest-bearing borrowings
Interest-bearing borrowings are recognised initially at fair value less attributable transaction costs. 
Subsequent to initial recognition, interest-bearing borrowings are stated at amortised cost using the effective 
interest method, less any impairment losses.

Operating lease payments
Payments made under operating leases in the period are recognised in the income statement on a straight-
line basis over the term of the lease. Lease incentives received are recognised in the income statement as an 
integral part of the total lease expense.

Derivative financial instruments
Derivative financial instruments are recognised at fair value. The gain or loss on re-measurement to fair value 
is recognised immediately in profit or loss. The Group has not applied hedge accounting in the current or 
comparative periods.

Finance lease payments
Minimum lease payments are apportioned between the finance charge and the reduction of the outstanding 
liability. The finance charge is allocated to each period during the lease term so as to produce a constant 
periodic rate of interest on the remaining balance of the liability.

Foreign currencies
The functional currency of the Group is pounds sterling. Transactions entered into by Group entities in a 
currency other than the reporting currency are recorded at the rates ruling when the transaction occurred. 
Foreign currency monetary assets and liabilities are translated into sterling at the rates ruling at the statement 
of financial position date. Exchange differences arising on the re-translation of the unsettled monetary assets 
and liabilities are similarly recognised in the income statement.

Current and deferred tax
Current taxes are based on the results shown in the financial statements and are calculated according to 
local tax rules, using tax rates enacted or substantially enacted by the statement of financial position date.

Deferred tax is provided on temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities  
for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for taxation purposes. The following temporary 
differences are not provided for: the initial recognition of goodwill; the initial recognition of assets or liabilities 
that affect neither accounting nor taxable profit other than in a business combination, and differences relating 
to investments in subsidiaries to the extent that they will probably not reverse in the foreseeable future. The 
amount of deferred tax provided is based on the expected manner of realisation or settlement of the carrying 
amount of assets and liabilities, using tax rates enacted or substantively enacted at the balance sheet date.  
A deferred tax asset is recognised only to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will be 
available against which the temporary difference can be utilised.

Employee benefits
Bonus
Bonuses as with wages, salaries, paid annual leave and non-monetary benefits are accrued in the period in 
which the associated services are rendered by employees of the Group.

Defined contribution plans
A defined contribution plan is a post-employment benefit plan under which the Company pays fixed 
contributions into a separate entity and will have no legal or constructive obligation to pay further amounts. 
Obligations for contributions to defined contribution pension plans are recognised as an expense in the 
income statement in the periods during which services are rendered by employees.

Share-based payments
Equity-settled share options are granted to certain officers and employees. Each tranche in an award is 
considered a separate award with its own vesting period and grant date fair value. Fair value of each tranche 
is measured at the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Compensation expense is 
recognised over the tranche’s vesting period based on the number of awards expected to vest, through an 
increase to equity. The number of awards expected to vest is reviewed over the vesting period, with any 
forfeitures recognised immediately.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

67

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:68

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Notes to the Financial Statements  
continued

1. Accounting policies continued
Share-based payment arrangements in which the Group receives goods or services as consideration for its 
own equity instruments are accounted for as equity-settled share-based payment transactions, regardless of 
how the equity instruments are obtained by the Group.

The grant date fair value of share-based payment awards granted to employees is recognised as an employee 
expense, with a corresponding increase in equity, over the period that the employees become unconditionally 
entitled to the awards. The amount recognised as an expense is adjusted to reflect the actual number of 
awards for which the related service, market and non-market vesting conditions are expected to be met,  
such that the amount ultimately recognised as an expense is based on the number of awards that do meet 
the related service, market and non-market performance conditions at the vesting date. For share-based 
payment awards with non-vesting conditions, the grant date fair value of the share-based payment is 
measured to reflect such conditions and there is no true-up for differences between expected and  
actual outcomes.

Share-based payment transactions in which the Group receives goods or services by incurring a liability to 
transfer cash or other assets that is based on the price of the Group’s equity instruments are accounted for  
as cash-settled share-based payments. The fair value of the amount payable to employees is recognised  
as an expense, with a corresponding increase in liabilities, over the period in which the employees become 
unconditionally entitled to payment. The liability is remeasured at each balance sheet date and at settlement 
date. Any changes in the fair value of the liability are recognised as personnel expense in profit or loss. Where 
the Company grants options over its own shares to the employees of its subsidiaries it recognises, in its 
individual financial statements, an increase in the cost of investment in its subsidiaries equivalent to the 
equity-settled share-based payment charge recognised in its consolidated financial statements with the 
corresponding credit being recognised directly in equity. Amounts recharged to the subsidiary are recognised 
as a reduction in the cost of investment in subsidiary. Where costs recharged match those incurred there is 
no net impact on the investment in subsidiary.

Financing income and expenses
Financing expenses comprise interest payable, finance charges on shares classified as liabilities and finance 
leases recognised in profit or loss using the effective interest method, unwinding of the discount on 
provisions, and net foreign exchange losses that are recognised in the income statement (see foreign 
currency accounting policy). Financing income comprise interest receivable on funds invested, dividend 
income, and net foreign exchange gains.

Provisions
A provision is recognised in the balance sheet when the Group has a present legal or constructive obligation 
as a result of a past event, that can be reliably measured and it is probable that an outflow of economic 
benefits will be required to settle the obligation and a reliable estimate can be made of the amount of the 
obligation. Provisions are reviewed at each balance sheet date and adjusted to reflect the current best 
estimate. If it is no longer probable that an outflow of economic benefit will be required to settle the 
obligation, the provision is reversed. Provisions are determined by discounting the expected future cash flows 
at a pre-tax rate that reflects risks specific to the liability.

Critical accounting judgements and policy update
The Group is required to make estimates and assumptions concerning the future. These estimates and 
judgements are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that 
are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The resulting accounting estimates will, by definition, 
seldom equal the related actual results. Accounting estimates and judgements have been required for the 
production of these Financial Statements. The following are those that are deemed to require the most 
complex judgements about matters that have the most significant effect on the amounts recognised in the 
Financial Statements.

Capitalisation of development costs
Capitalisation of development costs requires analysis of the technical feasibility and commercial viability of 
the project concerned. Capitalisation of the costs will only be made where there is evidence that an economic 
benefit will flow to the Company. 

During the period, the Group commenced capitalisation of development costs relating to its Speedboat 
device and CROMA Advanced Energy platform. These products relate to the emerging field of surgical 
endoscopy, and as such the commercial viability requires a number of factors to be in place following the 
initial design including regulatory approval, trained physicians, successful in-patient procedures performed 
and a clear route to market. 

In the period, FDA clearance for the Speedboat device and the CROMA Advanced Energy platform was 
obtained, following which the Company was able to train a number of physicians and treat patients 
successfully in both upper and lower gastrointestinal procedures. Having then entered into strategic 
collaboration agreements with distributors for Speedboat and CROMA, the Company progressed the devices 
to a Minimal Viable Product (“MVP”), a milestone which was achieved in the period and the costs of which 
have therefore been determined as meeting the criteria for capitalisation. The Group’s internal budgets 
demonstrate that the products will generate probable future economic benefits supporting its judgement to 
commence capitalisation of the relevant development costs. 

Other products are in various stages of development and the Group has determined that although technical 
feasibility has been achieved, the commercial viability is yet to be achieved and therefore all the criteria were 
not met as at the period end.

Recognition of deferred tax asset and tax credits
A deferred tax asset is recognised only to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will be 
available against which the temporary difference can be utilised. Given the nature and stage of development 
of the Group there are significant losses accumulated to date. To determine whether a deferred tax asset 
should be recognised in relation to the future tax deduction that these losses represent, the Directors have 
considered the estimated profits over a medium-term forecast. These forecasts continue to show tax losses 
for the medium-term (5 years) as the Group continues to develop its product base. Thus there is considered  
to be insufficient certainty over the timing and amount of loss recoverability for an asset to be recognised.

In the calculation of the tax receivable, the Directors have assessed what they consider to be the R&D tax 
credit available on spending to date. Until the claim is accepted and paid there remains uncertainty over the 
recoverability of this claim however management consider that their estimate is a reasonable estimate of the 
recoverable amount.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:2. Revenue and other operating income
Revenue from contracts with customers
IFRS 15 ‘Revenue from contracts with customers’ establishes a comprehensive framework for determining 
whether, how much and when revenue is recognised. Revenue is recognised when a customer obtains 
control of the goods or services. 

IFRS15 ‘Revenue from contracts with customers’ deals with revenue recognition and establishes principles for 
reporting useful information to users of financial statements about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty 
of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. Revenue is recognised when a customer 
obtains control of a good or service and thus has the ability to direct the use and obtain the benefits from the 
good or service. 

The standard replaces IAS 18 ‘Revenue’ and IAS 11 ‘Construction Contracts’, and related interpretations and  
is effective for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2018. The Group has early adopted IFRS 15 as  
at 1 July 2018. As part of adopting IFRS 15 the company has not identified any contracts with customers within 
the scope of IFRS 15 and accordingly no revenue is recognised in the current or prior period.

Collaborative arrangements
The Group has entered into a number of collaboration agreements with distributors in the period in order to 
develop and penetrate geographical markets for Creo’s initial products (Speedboat device and the CROMA 
Advanced Energy platform) and to establish a working relationship in readiness for Creo’s suite of products. 

The agreements represent the transfer of goods to the distributor for consideration and the receipt of services 
to Creo in the form of marketing, promotion and setting up training and qualifying centres.

The distributor is not deemed to be a ‘customer’ of the entity as defined in IFRS 15. Instead they are a 
collaborator or partner that shares in the risks and benefits of developing a product to be marketed and as 
such no revenue is recognised in respect of these agreements.

The overall arrangement represents a net cost to Creo on the basis that it is providing products on a free or 
discounted basis and providing training and other support to the distributor in return for services relating to 
the objective of market penetration. 

The overall net cost of each agreement is determined at inception and spread over the period of the 
agreement. The assumptions upon which the estimates are made are periodically updated. Any impact on 
profit or loss is recognised in the period in which the updates are made.

Other operating income 
Other operating income relates to research grants. Income is recognised necessary to match it with the 
related costs in the profit or loss on a systematic basis over the periods in which the entity recognises 
expenses for the related costs for which the grants are intended to compensate. Furthermore, income is 
recognised only when there is reasonable assurance that the Company will comply with any conditions 
attached to the grant and the grant will be received.

Segmental reporting
Operating segments are identified on the basis of internal reporting and decision-making. The Board 
regularly reviews the Company’s performance and balance sheet position for its operations and receives 
financial information for the Company. As a result, the Company has one reportable segment, which is  
being the research and development of electrosurgical medical devices relating to the field of surgical 
endoscopy. As there is only one reportable segment whole profit, expenses, assets, liabilities and cash flows  
are measured and reported on a basis consistent with the financial statements, no additional disclosures  
are necessary.

3.  Loss before tax
The loss before income tax is stated after charging/(crediting):

(All figures £)

Depreciation – owned assets
Depreciation – assets on hire purchase contracts
Amortisation
Loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment
Operating leases – land and buildings
Operating leases – other
Research and development expenditure
Foreign exchange differences

4.  Audit and non-audit fees
An analysis of auditors’ remuneration is as follows:

(All figures £)

Audit fees

Audit-related assurance services
Tax compliance services
Corporate finance services
All other services

Non-audit fees

18 months to 
31 Dec 2018

12 months to 
30 Jun 2017

471,745
18,132
7,544
12,278
249,602
83,538
7,846,144
18,411

127,090
12,088
3,245
–
129,859
51,340
3,583,041
12,734

18 months to 
31 Dec 2018

12 months to 
30 Jun 2017

108,280

50,000

17,000
5,500
–
8,500

25,000
5,800
267,800
17,700

31,000

316,300

Corporate finance services in the prior period include costs associated with the listing on AIM.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

69

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:70

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Notes to the Financial Statements  
continued

7.  Research and development expenditure
During the current and comparative years, the principle activity of the entity was research and development. 
Expenditure on research activities is recognised in the statement of profit or loss as incurred.

8.  Share based payments
At 31 December 2018 the Group has an established Enterprise Management Incentive (“EMI”) and non-EMI 
schemes (“the Schemes”) under which share options have been granted to certain officers, employees and certain 
suppliers. The Schemes are an equity-settled share based payment arrangement whereby holders of vested 
options are entitled to purchase shares in the Company at the market price of the shares at the grant date.

The schemes include both market and non-market based vesting conditions. The share options may be 
exercised from the date that they vest until the 10th anniversary of the date of the grant. In addition to the 
performance based vesting conditions the only vesting requirement is that the recipient remains in employment 
with the Company with the exception of tranches 11 and 12 where employment is not a criteria. All options to be 
settled by the physical delivering of shares. Details of the grants under these schemes are as follows:

5.  Staff numbers and costs
The cost of employees (including Directors) during the period was made up as follows:

(All figures £)

Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Pension
Share-based payments

Total remuneration

The average monthly number of employees during the period was as follows:

(All figures £)

Research and development
Administration

18 months to 
31 Dec 2018

12 months to 
30 Jun 2017

5,329,362
661,393
546,393
1,804,820

2,679,600
292,801
281,040
776,782

8,341,968 4,030,223

18 months to 
31 Dec 2018

12 months to 
30 Jun 2017

38
11

49

25
7

32

Pension costs incurred in the year relate to all employees. The staging date for auto-enrolment was 1 July 2017.

6.  Directors remuneration

(All figures £)

Directors' remuneration
Pension
Share based payments expensed
Amounts paid to third parties in respect of directors' services

Total directors' remuneration

18 months to 
31 Dec 2018

12 months to 
30 Jun 2017

2,123,584
48,882
1,159,167
–

494,373
281,040
540,869
11,759

3,331,633 1,328,041

Directors’ emoluments disclosed above, including the fair value for share based payment expenses, paid to the 
highest paid Director in the Period was £1,243,762 (Period to June 2017: £561,076), there were Company pension 
contributions of £48,882 made to defined contribution schemes during the current period (30 June 2017: £281,040). 
The share options exercised in the period by the highest paid Director was £nil (30 June 2017: £122,579).

Executive average salary and other pay related benefits in the year are below the median range for AIM listed 
companies of a similar market capitalisation. See Directors’ Remuneration Report for emoluments and 
compensation, share options and contributions to the pension scheme split by Director which form part of 
these audited financial statements.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start: 
8.  Share based payments continued

Share option activity for the Period ended 31 December 2018 is presented below:

Award Grant date

Number of 
options

Vesting conditions

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

04 Jan 2012

2,003,760

06 Dec 2013

243,720

14 Jul 2015

1,121,400

14 Jul 2015

670,680

03 Aug 2015

1,242,000

04 Aug 2015

216,000

29 Sep 2016

1,944,000

09 Dec 2016

5,907,896

04 Apr 2018

875,902

10

29 Aug 2018

1,746,718

Continual service of 
employment over 3 years
Continual service of 
employment over 3 years
Continual service of 
employment over 3 years
Continual service of 
employment over 3 years
Continual service of 
employment over 3 years
Continual service of 
employment over 3 years
Continual service of 
employment over 3 years
Continual service of 
employment over 3 years
Continual service of 
employment and market 
based performance 
conditions
Continual service of 
employment over 3 years  
and non-market based 
performance conditions

11

12

18 Oct 2018

749,209 Non-market base 

02 Jul 2018

1,000,000 Non-market base 

performance conditions

performance conditions

17,721,285  

Exercise 
price

Fair 
value

Contractual 
life of 
options

0.16 to 0.22

0.08 to 0.10

10 years

0.21

0.17

0.17

0.17

0.17

0.17

0.76

1.13

0.09

10 years

0.11

10 years

0.11

10 years

0.12

10 years

0.12

10 years

0.11

10 years

0.48

10 years

0.58

10 years

1.54

0.84

10 years

0.76

1.26

1.60

10 years

0.67

10 years

Outstanding at start of period
Converted from old scheme
Granted during the period
Forfeited during the period
Exercised during the period

Outstanding at end of period
Exercisable at end of period

31 Dec 2018 
Number of 
options

11,942,936
–
4,371,829
(1,315,579)
(983,640)

31 Dec 2018 
Weighted 
average 
exercise price

£0.46
–
£1.26
£0.45
£0.16

30 Jun 2017 
Number of 
options

–
6,035,040
5,907,896
–
–

14,015,546
4,367,400

£0.72 11,942,936
5,351,040
£0.17

30 Jun 2017 
Weighted 
average 
exercise price

–
£0.16
£0.76
–
–

£0.46
£0.16

Weighted average remaining contractual life  

(in years) of options outstanding at the period end

–

7.9

–

8.4

The estimated fair value of the share options was calculated by applying a Black-Scholes model. The model 
inputs for the current period option grants were as follows:

Exercise price
Share price at date of grant
Risk-free interest rate
Expected volatility
Dividend yield
Contractual life of option (years)

18 months to 
31 Dec 2018

12 months to 
30 Jun 2017

£0.76 to £1.54
£1.16 to £2.09
0.5% to 0.75%
41% to 51%
0%
10

£0.76
£0.80
0.5%
51%
0%
10

In the absence of any historical volatility data for the Group, the expected volatility was determined by 
reviewing the volatility of the share price of similar entities which are currently listed on AIM.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

71

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

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72

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Notes to the Financial Statements 
continued

8.  Share based payments continued
Share based payment expense

(All figures £)

Expense arising from share-based payment transactions

18 months to 
31 Dec 2018

12 months to 
30 Jun 2017

1,804,820

776,782

The following amounts for share-based payments are reflected in the above Consolidated Statement of Profit 
and Loss and Other Comprehensive Income in relation to Directors:

10. Taxation
Recognised in the income statement

(All figures £)

Current tax:
Current year
Adjustments for prior years

Current tax credit

(All figures £)

Professor Christopher Hancock
Craig Gulliford
Richard Rees
Charles Spicer
John Bradshaw
David Woods

9.  Finance income and costs

(All figures £)

Finance income:
Bank interest
Fair value adjustment for derivatives

Total finance income

Finance costs:
Bank interest
Interest expense on finance leases liabilities
Fair value adjustment for derivatives

Total finance costs

Note

18 months to 
31 Dec 2018

12 months to 
30 Jun 2017

(2,551,029)
(216,550)

(1,172,621)
29,688

(2,767,579)

(1,142,933)

16

–

–

(2,767,579)

(1,142,933)

18 months to 
31 Dec 2018

(14,808,608)
(2,767,579)

12 months to 
30 Jun 2017

(7,765,517)
(1,142,933)

(17,576,187)

(8,908,450)

(3,339,476)
(1,097,669)
1,508,705
377,411 
(216,550)

(1,759,419)
(468,342)
883,432
171,708 
29,688

(2,767,579)

(1,422,933)

18 months to 
31 Dec 2018

12 months to 
30 Jun 2017

334,003
441,736
335,937
28,495
18,996
–

113,873
272,049
137,267
10,608
7,072
–

1,159,167

540,869

Deferred tax:
Origination and reversal of temporary timing differences

Total tax credit

Reconciliation of effective tax rate

(All figures £)

Loss for the period
Total credit

18 months to 
31 Dec 2018

12 months to 
30 Jun 2017

Loss excluding taxation

Tax using the UK corporation tax rate of 19% (2017: 19.75%)
Research and development
Movement in deferred tax not provided
Non-deductible expenses
Prior year adjustment

Total tax credit

93,486
10,857

104,343

3,673
13,071
–

5,337
–

5,337

–
3,319
7,402

16,744

10,721

The tax credit of £2,767,579 (2017: £1,142,933) relates to R&D tax relief claims submitted by the Group under 
the small or medium sized enterprises (‘SME’) scheme and therefore is accounted for as a tax credit in 
accordance with IAS12 Incomes Taxes. In addition, the Group has also submitted R&D claims under the large 
company (‘RDEC’) scheme in relation to monies received from Research Grants. In accordance with IAS 20 
Accounting for Government Grants, an amount of £18,602 (2017: £17,067) has been accounted for ‘above the 
line’ as a reduction from the related expenditure in the statement of comprehensive income.

Page Title at start:Content Section at start: 
 
 
11. Earnings per share

(All figures £)

(Loss)
(Loss) attributable to equity holders of Company (basic)

18 months to 
31 Dec 2018

12 months to 
30 Jun 2017

(14,808,608)

(7,765,517)

Shares (number)
Weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the period

90,390,078

60,017,322

Diluted earnings per share is calculated by adjusting the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue 
to assume conversion of all potential dilutive ordinary shares. The potential ordinary shares are considered to 
be antidilutive on the basis that they reduce the loss per share and as such are not included in the Company’s 
EPS calculation, meaning that diluted EPS is the same as basic EPS. Adjusted EPS is calculated as follows:

(All figures £)

(Loss)
(Loss) attributable to equity holders of Company (basic)
Expenses of the initial public offering (non-recurring)

18 months to 
31 Dec 2018

12 months to 
30 Jun 2017

(14,808,608)
–

(7,765,517)
1,252,692

(14,808,608)

(6,512,825)

(0.16)

(0.13)

Adjusted operating loss

80,711,745

33,211,080

115,000
12
276,320
11
20,000
8
38,800,000
4
63,880
1
336,000
1
172,440
1
120,495,385
90,390,078

691,920
9
18,501,480
7
1,991,465
7
26,315,800
7
 –
 –
 –
 –
 –
 –
80,711,745
60,017,322

(0.16)

(0.13)

Shares (number)
Weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the period

90,390,078

60,017,322

Earnings per share adjusted
Basic and diluted

12. Intangible assets

(All figures £)

Cost:
At 1 July 2017
Additions

At 31 December 2018

Amortisation:
At 1 July 2017
Charge for period

At 31 December 2018

(0.16)

(0.11)

Computer 
software

Assets 
under 
construction

Total 

14,509
1,300

–
303,162

14,509
304,462

15,809

303,162

318,971

3,613
7,544

11,157

–
–

–

3,613
7,544

11,157

Earnings per share
Basic and diluted

Ordinary shares start of year
Issued in year
Issue 1 – Ordinary
Issued with months remaining
Issue 2 – Ordinary
Issued with months remaining
Issue 3 – Ordinary
Issued with months remaining
Issue 4 – Ordinary
Issued with months remaining
Issue 5 – Ordinary
Issued with months remaining
Issue 6 – Ordinary
Issued with months remaining
Issue 7 – Ordinary
Issued with months remaining
Closing ordinary shares
Average ordinary shares

Basic EPS

Earnings per share has been calculated in accordance with IAS 33 – Earnings Per Share using the loss for the 
period after tax, divided by the weighted average number of shares in issue.

Net book value at 31 December 2018

4,652

303,162

307,814

Net book value at 30 June 2017

10,896

–

10,896

Assets under construction in the year include the capitalisation of research and development costs of £150,000 
and costs associated with the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system of £153,162.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

73

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

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74

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Notes to the Financial Statements  
continued

13. Property, plant and equipment

15. Trade and other receivables

(All figures £)

Cost:
At 1 July 2017
Additions
Eliminated on disposal
Transferred

Leasehold 
property

Office 
equipment

Fixtures 
and 
fittings

Motor 
vehicles

Plant 
and 
machinery

Assets 
under 
construction

Total 

16,664
414,838
–
55,214

403,568
83,840
(37,594)
–

70,661
–
–
–

10,000
–
–
–

244,499
566,376
–
1,084

56,298
18,338
–
(56,298)

801,690
1,083,392
(37,594)
–

At 31 December 2018

486,716

449,814

70,661

10,000

811,959

18,338

1,847,488

Depreciation:
At 1 July 2017
Charge for period
Eliminated on disposal
Transferred

10,469
125,403
–
–

210,915
139,182
(25,316)
–

65,005
4,783

–

10,000
–
–
–

180,282
220,509
–
–

–
–
–
–

476,671
489,877
(25,316)
–

At 31 December 2018

135,872

324,781

69,788

10,000

400,791

–

941,232

(All figures £)

Current:
Accrued other income
Other debtors
Prepayments
VAT

Total current

Non-current:
Other debtors

Total trade and other receivables

31 Dec 2018

30 Jun 2017

164,059
109,456
305,590
473,661

61,063
–
304,431
177,420

1,052,766

542,914

8,400

14,853

1,061,166

557,767

16. Deferred tax and other tax receivables
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset where the Company has a legally enforceable right to do so. The 
following is the analysis of the deferred tax balances (after offset) for financial reporting purposes:

350,844

125,033

873

–

411,168

18,338

906,256

The accelerated capital allowances deferred tax liability set out below is expected to reverse over the life of 
the related fixed assets. Deferred tax has been calculated at a rate of 17%.

Net book value at  
31 December 2018

Net book value at  
30 June 2017

6,195

192,653

5,656

–

64,217

56,298

325,019

(All figures £)

Balances:
Accelerated capital allowances
Tax losses offset (see below)

31 Dec 2018

30 Jun 2017

63,252
(63,252)

39,905
(39,905)

–

–

The Group leases production equipment under a number of finance leases. The leased equipment secures 
lease obligations. At 31 December 2018, the net carrying amount of leased equipment was £68,569 
(2017: £19,143).

During 2018, the Group acquired equipment with a carrying amount of £121,595 (2017: £nil) under a 
finance lease.

14. Inventories

(All figures £)

Raw materials & consumables
Finished goods

Total inventories

31 Dec 2018

30 Jun 2017

247,766
54,706

91,333
–

302,472

91,333

The Directors are of the opinion that the replacement values of inventories are not materially different to the 
carrying values stated above.

There are unused trading losses at 31 December 2018 of £18,185,117 (30 June 2017: £11,272,469). A deferred tax 
asset of £3,056,913 (30 June 2017: £1,916,320) has not been recognised in respect of these tax losses due to 
uncertainty in respect of its recoverability.

Tax receivables at 31 December 2018 of £2,569,631 (30 June 2017: £1,449,976) relate solely to R&D Tax credits. 
The Company has submitted R&D tax credit claims for the periods presented in relation to its qualifying 
research and development expenditure and has taken the option of surrendering the resulting losses and 
claiming an R&D tax credit in the form of immediate cash payments from HMRC.

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17. Trade and other payables

(All figures £)

Current:
Trade payables
Social security and other taxes
Other payables
Deferred income
Accrued expenses

Total trade and other payables

18. Financial instruments
Carrying amount of financial instruments

The amounts for all financial assets carried at fair value are as follows:

(All figures £)

Foreign currency forward contracts:
Assets

31 Dec 2018

30 Jun 2017

739,015
114,595
16,074
79,647
650,289

519,258
87,884
15,833
257,047
575,852

1,599,620 1,455,874

Liquidity
The Company’s policy is to ensure that it has sufficient cash resources to cover its future trading 
requirements which is predominately sourced from its shareholders and investors. Short-term flexibility  
is available through current investor support via funding rounds held when required.

Credit risk
The maximum exposure to credit risk at the reporting date is the fair value of the derivative assets in the 
Consolidated Statement of Financial Position.

Foreign exchange risk
The Company currently purchases certain materials from the United States in connection with Research  
and Developments of its primary product. The consequence of this is that the Company is exposed to 
movement in foreign currency rates. Forward foreign exchange contracts are used to manage the net  
foreign exchange exposure.

31 Dec 2018

30 Jun 2017

(All figures £)

19. Interest bearing liabilities

10,857

–

Current:
Finance lease liabilities

Non-current:
Finance lease liabilities
Bank borrowings

Financial instruments measured at fair value
The fair value of forward exchange contracts is estimated by discounting the difference between the 
contractual forward price and the current forward price for the residual maturity of the contract using a risk 
free interest rate.

Financial risk management
The main purpose of the Company’s financial instruments is to finance the Company’s operations. The 
financial instruments comprise finance leases, foreign currency forward contracts, cash and liquid resources 
and various items arising directly from its operations, such as trade receivables and trade payables. The main 
risks arising from the Company’s finance instruments are exchange rate risk and liquidity risk. The Company’s 
policies on the management of liquidity and foreign currency risks are set out below.

Finance lease liabilities are payable as follows:
Less than 1 year
Between 1 and 5 years
More than 5 years

Fair Values of Financial Instruments
All financial assets and liabilities are held at amortised cost apart from forward exchange contracts, which are 
held at fair value, with changes going through the Statement of Profit or Loss. The Company has not 
disclosed the fair values for financial instruments such as short-term trade receivables and payables, because 
their carrying amounts are a reasonable approximation of fair values.

Bank borrowings are payable as follows:
Less than 1 year
Between 1 and 5 years
More than 5 years

The Company measured the fair value of instruments which are categorised as level 2 in the fair value 
hierarchy, being forward exchange contracts, by using the forward change rates at the measurement date 
with the resulting value discounted back to present values.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

75

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

31 Dec 2018

30 Jun 2017

40,591

13,773

43,231
349,661

1,448
–

433,483

15,221

40,591
43,231
–

13,773
1,448
–

83,822

15,221

–
349,661
–

349,661

–
–
–

–

433,483

15,221

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76

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Notes to the Financial Statements  
continued

20. Provisions

(All figures £)

Non-current:
Lease dilapidations provision

31 Dec 2018

30 Jun 2017

19,500

23,735

19,500

23,735

The dilapidations provision relates to potential rectification costs expected should the Group vacate its 
head office.

The movement in dilapidations is summarised below:

(All figures £)

At beginning of period
Released through profit and loss
Provisions made in period

At end of period

31 Dec 2018

30 Jun 2017

23,735
(23,735)
19,500

67,600
(43,865)
–

19,500

23,735

Provisions for dilapidations are inherently uncertain in terms of quantum and timing, not least because they 
involve negotiations with landlords at future dates. The figures provided in the financial statements represent 
management’s best estimate of the likely outflows to the Group.

Share capital
Is the amount of nominal value of share held by shareholders. At 31 December 2018 120,495,385 shares have 
been issued, each with the nominal value of £0.001 equalling a share capital for the Company of £120,495.  
All ordinary shares rank as pari passu with regards to voting, dividends and rights on winding up.

Share premium
The share premium reserve comprises the difference between the nominal value and the value received on 
share issue offset by the costs directly associated with obtaining the capital funding e.g. legal fees.

Merger reserve
The merger reserve reflects the difference between the existing share capital and premium of Creo Medical 
Limited prior to share for share exchange and the nominal value of shares issued. Refer to Note 1 Business 
combinations and basis of consolidation.

Share option reserve
The share option reserve reflects the cost to the Group of share options granted but not yet exercised.  
Refer to Note 8 Share based payments.

Retained Earnings
Retained earnings including profit or loss for the year comprises the earned profit of the Parent Company  
and its subsidiary.

21. Share capital and reserves

(All figures £)

Balance at start of period
Issue of share capital
Number of shares
Price per share (£)
Share value (£)

Balance at 31 December 2018

22. Cash from share issue

(All figures £)

Share issue:
Share options exercised
Advanced share subscription AIM listing 9 December 2016
Share subscription AIM listing 9 December 2016
Transaction costs AIM listing 9 December 2016
Share placing AIM 30 August 2018
Transaction costs AIM 30 August 2018

Share 
capital

80,712

39,783,640
0.001
39,784

120,495

18 months to 
31 Dec 2018

12 months to 
30 Jun 2017

155,529
–
–
–
48,500,000
(2,590,584)

122,579
1,400,000
20,000,008
(1,510,358)
–
–

46,064,945 20,012,229

On 2 August 2018 4,000,000 £0.001 ordinary shares were issued with a further 34,800,000 £0.001 ordinary 
shares being issued on 30 August 2018. During the period 983,640 share options were exercised. The total 
number of issues in the period was 39,783,640 £0.001 ordinary shares. The Group has a single class of share, 
ordinary shares £0.001.

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23. Related party disclosures
Remuneration of Directors
Directors of the Company control 4.21% of the voting shares of the Company.

The remuneration of the Directors of the Company are disclosed in the Directors’ remuneration report and 
Note 6 above.

Share options held by Directors are detailed in the Directors’ remuneration report.

Interests and related party transactions are disclosed below
Finance Wales Investments Limited is a significant shareholder of the Company. There were no transactions 
in the period (12 months to 30 June 2017 £50,580). The balance payable at 31 December 2018 was £nil.

Charles Spicer is Chair of the Product Development Awards Selection Panel B for Invention for Innovation 
(i4i). We received grant funding from Invention for Innovation (i4i) with funding received in the period totalling 
£nil (12 months to 30 June 2017 £439,571).

David Woods is President and CEO of PENTAX Americas and M&A Director of HOYA Group, PENTAX 
Medical. During the period the Group entered into an addendum to the distribution agreement entered into 
with HOYA Group, PENTAX Medical in August 2016. Pursuant to the addendum, PENTAX agreed to 
commence seeding certain markets in APAC and the Group agreed to extend the terms of the distribution 
agreement for a period of 5 years from the date on which the Group’s products are registered in each 
respective territory. There were no financial transactions with HOYA Group, PENTAX Medical under 
these agreements.

Christopher Hancock holds a Professorship with Bangor University and is the common-law spouse of Ling 
Chen. The fees paid in the period to Bangor University totalled £17,749 (12 months to 30 June 2017 £81,541), 
with the balance payable at 31 December 2018 being £nil. The fees paid in the period to Ling Chen totalled 
£53,200 (12 months to 30 June 2017 £25,125), with the balance payable at 31 December 2018 being £11,129.

24. Ultimate controlling party
By virtue of the shareholding structure, there is no sole ultimate controlling party.

25. Operating leases
The Company has annual commitments under non-cancellable operating leases relating primarily to land and 
buildings, plant and machinery and office equipment. Land and buildings have been considered separately 
for lease classification. Land and buildings amounts relate to leasehold properties at the Chepstow and 
Bath sites.

During the period to 31 December 2018 £333,140 was recognised as an expense in the Statement of Profit 
and Loss in respect of operating leases (12 months to June 2017: £181,199).

(All figures £)

Land and buildings:
Less than 1 year
Between 1 and 5 years

Total

Other:
Less than 1 year
Between 1 and 5 years

Total

31 Dec 2018

30 Jun 2017

161,000
328,417

165,716
569,917

489,417

735,633

17,818
3,680

45,708
2,959

21,498

48,667

The Group’s current building lease will expire on 30 August 2027.

On 30 August 2017, the Group entered into a new lease for a term of 10 years commencing 31 August 2017. 
The new lease includes a tenant’s break option by which the Group will have the ability to terminate the lease 
on or after 30 August 2022 subject to providing the landlord with 9 months written notice.

Aggregate remuneration for the period for all key management totalled £2,172,466 (12 months to 30 June 2017 
£494,373).

As at 31 December 2018, the building lease has 8 years and 8 months to run.

(All figures £)

Salary and taxable benefits:
Professor Christopher Hancock
Craig Gulliford
Richard Rees
Charles Spicer
John Bradshaw

18 months to 
31 Dec 2018

12 months to 
30 Jun 2017

629,178
802,026
591,262
97,500
52,500

117,877
149,534
185,296
27,083
14,583

2,172,466

494,373

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

77

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

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Parent Company Statement 

of Financial Position

78

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Notes to the Financial Statements  
continued

26. Capital commitments
The amounts contracted for but not provided for as at 31 December 2018 in relation to Software and the 
Group’s new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system are £153,162 (30 June 2017 £nil). The total capital 
commitment in the period in relation to the ERP system was £186,312.

27. Subsequent events
On the 16th January 2019, the Company announced that its Speedboat device powered by its CROMA 
Advanced Energy platform had been successfully used by 2 US gastrointestinal surgeons to treat patients.

The Group signed a framework agreement on 7th February 2019 with PENTAX Europe GmbH (a member of 
HOYA Group) in respect of the initial market seeding and establishing a clinical education programme in each 
of Germany, France and Italy.

Creo Medical (Ireland) Ltd was incorporated in Ireland on 21 March 2019 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of 
Creo Medical Limited.

There have been no other material events subsequent to the period end and up to 4 April 2019, the date of 
approval of the financial statements by the Board.

Parent Company Statement of Financial Position

(All figures £)

Note

31 Dec 2018

30 Jun 2016

Assets
Non-current assets
Investments in subsidiaries
Amount owed by subsidiary undertaking

Current assets
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents

Total assets

Shareholder equity
Called up share capital
Share premium
Share option reserve
Retained earnings

Total equity and liabilities

30
31

31

21

1,455
23,906,610

1,455
5,984,639

23,908,065

5,986,094

67,992
43,675,948

120,000
13,404,450

43,743,940

13,524,450

67,652,005

19,510,544

120,495
65,835,555
2,334,019
(638,064)

80,712
19,810,394
529,199
(909,761)

67,652,005

19,510,544

67,652,005

19,510,544

These financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors on 4 April 2019 and were signed on its 
behalf by:

Richard Rees
Director

Company registered number: 10371794

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Parent Company Statement 

Notes to the Parent 

of Changes in Equity

Company Financial 

Statements

Parent Company Statement of Changes in Equity

Notes to the Parent Company Financial Statements

(All figures £)

Balance at 30 June 2016

Total comprehensive income  
for the period
Profit or loss
Other comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income

Transactions with owners, 
recorded directly in equity
Share for share exchange
Bonus issue of share capital  
(9th November 2016)
Issue of share capital  
(9th November 2016)
Equity settled share-based 
payment transactions

Balance at 30 June 2017

Total comprehensive income  
for the period
Profit or loss
Other comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income

Transactions with owners, 
recorded directly in equity
Issue of share capital
Equity settled share-based 
payment transactions

Called up 
share 
capital

Note

–

–
–

–

1,455

50,950

28,307

Retained 
earnings

–

(909,761)
–

(909,761)

–

–

Share 
premium

Share 
option 
reserve

–

–
–

–

–

(50,950)

–

–
–

–

–

Total 
equity

–

28. Parent Company financial statements
As permitted by section 408(3) of the Companies Act 2006, a separate Statement of Comprehensive Income, 
dealing with the results of the Parent Company, has not been presented. The Parent Company profit for the 
period ended 31 December 2018 is £271,697 (30 June 2017: loss £909,761).

(909,761)
–

(909,761)

1,455

–

29. Parent Company accounting policies
To the extent that an accounting policy is relevant to both the Group and Company financial statements, refer 
to the Group financial statements for disclosure of the accounting policy.

Basis of preparation
These financial statements were prepared in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 101 “Reduced 
Disclosure Framework” (“FRS 101”). The amendments to FRS 101 (2014/15 Cycle) issued in July 2015 have 
been applied. In preparing these financial statements, the Company applies the recognition, measurement 
and disclosure requirements of International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the EU (“Adopted 
IFRSs”), but makes amendments where necessary in order to comply with Companies Act 2006 and has set 
out below where advantage of the FRS 101 disclosure exemptions has been taken.

In these financial statements the Parent Company has taken advantage of the following disclosure 
exemptions under FRS 101:
•  a Cash Flow Statement and related notes;

19,861,343

19,889,650

–

529,199

529,199

•  Comparative period reconciliations for share capital;

80,712

(909,761) 19,810,393

529,199 19,510,543

•  Disclosures in respect of transactions with wholly owned subsidiaries;

•  The effects of new but not yet effective IFRSs;

•  Disclosures in respect of the compensation of Key Management Personnel; 

–
–

–

271,697
–

271,697

–
–

–

–
–

–

271,697
–

271,697

•  Disclosures of transactions with a management entity that provides key management personnel services 

to the Company; and

•  Certain disclosures required by IFRS 7 Financial Instrument Disclosers.

46,025,162

–

46,064,945

As the consolidated financial statements include the equivalent disclosures, the Company has also taken the 
exemptions under FRS 101 available in respect of the following disclosures:
• 

IFRS 2 Share Based Payments in respect of Group settled share-based payments;

•  Certain disclosures required by IAS 36 Impairment of assets in respect of the impairment of goodwill and 

–

1,804,820

1,804,820

indefinite life intangible assets;

39,783

–

–

8

8

Balance at 31 December 2018

120,495

(638,064) 65,835,555 2,334,019 67,652,005

•  Certain disclosures required by IFRS 3 Business Combinations in respect of business combinations 

undertaken by the Company.

The accounting policies set out above have, unless otherwise stated, been applied consistently to all periods 
presented in these financial statements.

Judgements made by the Directors, in the application of these accounting policies that have significant effect 
on the financial statements and estimates with a significant risk of material adjustment in the next year are 
discussed in Note 1 Critical accounting judgments and policy update.

Investments in subsidiaries are carried at cost less impairment.

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

79

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

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80

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Notes to the Parent Company Financial Statements 
continued

31. Parent Company trade and other receivables

Investment 
in subsidiary 
company

1,455

(All figures £)

Current:
Research grant receivable
Other debtors
VAT

Total current

30. Investments

(All figures £)

Cost:
As at 31 December 2018

(All figures £)

Cost:
Creo Medical Limited

The Company has the following investments in subsidiary companies:

Aggregate of 
capital and 
reserves

Profit or 
loss for 
the period

Registered 
Office 
address

Class of 
shares 
held

Ownership 
2017

Non-current:
Other debtors
Amount owed by subsidiary undertaking

Ordinary

100%

Total non-current

(19,950,371)

(15,093,940)

Unit 2, Creo House
Beaufort Park
Beaufort Park Way
Chepstow
Wales
NP16 5UH

Total trade and other receivables

23,974,602

6,104,639

31 Dec 2018

30 Jun 2017

–
67,992
–

–
120,000
–

67,992

120,000

–
23,906,610

–
5,984,639

23,906,610

5,984,639

The Company has the following investments in subsidiary companies:

(All figures £)

Cost:
Creo Medical, Inc.

Creo Medical Innovations
Limited

Aggregate of 
capital and 
reserves

Profit or 
loss for 
the period

Registered 
Office 
address

Class of 
shares 
held

Ownership 
2017

–

–

Ordinary

100%

Ordinary

100%

–

–

251 Little Falls Drive
Wilmington
New Castle
Delaware 19808
USA

Unit 2
Riverside Court
12 Lower Bristol Road
Bath
BA2 3DZ

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE WITH THE RIGHT APPROACH

Page Title at start:Content Section at start:Creo Medical Group PLC
Unit 2, Creo House,
Beaufort Park, Beaufort Park Way,
Chepstow, Wales. NP16 5UH.
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 1291 606005
Email: info@creomedical.com

CREO MEDICAL GROUP PLC

82

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018

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