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16 May 2022

RWS Holdings plc

("RWS" or the "Company")

RESPONSE TO BPEA'S STATEMENT THAT IT IS NO LONGER EVALUATING A POSSIBLE OFFER FOR RWS

RWS notes today's announcement made by Baring Private Equity Asia Fund VIII Limited ("BPEA") that it is no longer evaluating a possible offer for the Company and that it is consequently bound by the restrictions under Rule 2.8 of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers. 

The interest from BPEA was unsolicited and did not result in any proposal being made to RWS. The Board of RWS believes the Company has a strong future based on its clearly defined strategy, as outlined at its Capital Markets Event on 23 March 2022, which includes accelerating organic growth, capitalising on a simplified technology portfolio, driving operational leverage and enhancing growth and returns. The Company is focused on the actions and investments which support this strategy and its five year accelerated growth plan. The Board believes the delivery of this strategy will create significant value for the Company's shareholders.

RWS will report its results for the six months ended 31 March 2022 on 9 June 2022.

This announcement is not being made with the consent of BPEA.

Enquiries:

About RWS

RWS Holdings plc is a unique, world-leading provider of technology-enabled language, content and intellectual property services. Through content transformation and multilingual data analysis, our unique combination of technology and cultural expertise helps our clients to grow by ensuring they are understood anywhere, in any language.

Our purpose is unlocking global understanding. By combining cultural understanding, client understanding and technical understanding, our services and technology assist our clients to acquire and retain customers, deliver engaging user experiences, maintain compliance and gain actionable insights into their data and content.

Our clients include 90 of the world's top 100 brands, the top 20 pharmaceutical companies and 19 of the top 20 patent filers. Our client base spans Europe, Asia Pacific and North and South America. We work in the automotive, chemical, financial, legal, medical, pharmaceutical, technology and telecommunications sectors, which we serve from 80+ global locations across five continents.

Founded in 1958, RWS is headquartered in the UK and publicly listed on AIM, the London Stock Exchange regulated market (RWS.L).

For further information, please visit: www.rws.com.

Important notices

Gleacher Shacklock LLP ("Gleacher Shacklock"), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority, is acting exclusively for RWS and no one else in connection with the matters set out in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than RWS for providing the protections offered to clients of Gleacher Shacklock or for providing advice in relation to the contents of this announcement or any matters referred to herein.

Goldman Sachs International ("Goldman Sachs"), which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, is acting exclusively for RWS and no one else in connection with the matters set out in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than RWS for providing the protections offered to clients of Goldman Sachs or for providing advice in relation to the contents of this announcement or any matters referred to herein.

Numis Securities Limited ("Numis"), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority, is acting exclusively for RWS and no one else in connection with the matters set out in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than RWS for providing the protections offered to clients of Numis or for providing advice in relation to the contents of this announcement or any matters referred to herein.

Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG, London Branch ("Berenberg"), which is regulated by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and subject to limited regulation in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority, is acting exclusively for RWS and no one else in connection with the matters set out in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than RWS for providing the protections offered to clients of Berenberg or for providing advice in relation to the contents of this announcement or any matters referred to herein.