HAMBURG, Germany—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Evotec AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Prime Standard, ISIN: DE 000 566480 9, WKN 566480) today decided to begin preparations for legal conversion of the Company into a European Company (Societas Europaea, SE). The proposal, which has already been approved by the Supervisory Board, will be put to a vote at this year's Annual General Meeting on 20 June 2018.

Evotec intends to maintain its current two-tier board structure, consisting of a Management Board and a Supervisory Board. The registration, and thus validity, of the legal conversion is conditional upon finalising the mandatory negotiation process regarding the future arrangements for employee involvement. Shareholders will receive detailed information on the planned conversion when the invitation to the Annual General Meeting is sent out. Upon registration of the conversion, the shareholders of Evotec AG will remain shareholders of the Company in the new legal form with same rights and duties.

The conversion reflects the continuing European and international focus of the Evotec Group, which has grown considerably in recent years with subsidiaries in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the USA.