Skillsoft Announces Darren Bance as New General Manager of Global Knowledge Business

Transformative leader brings a wealth of experience to support growth and innovation

Skillsoft (NYSE: SKIL), a leading platform for transformative learning experiences, today announced the appointment of Darren Bance as General Manager of Skillsoft Global Knowledge. Mr. Bance brings more than 25 years of global leadership experience, with a focus on technical education and skilling initiatives within both the public and private sector.

"Generative AI and other emerging technologies have underscored the importance of in-person and interactive learning for developing a highly skilled workforce," said Ron Hovsepian, Executive Chair of Skillsoft. "Darren's deep experience in technology skilling and proven leadership will be instrumental as we enhance our instructor-led training offerings. We are confident in Darren's ability to drive growth and innovation in this important segment of our business."

Skillsoft Global Knowledge remains committed to innovating the live learning experience, especially as technological advancements continue to transform professional development. The demand for high-quality instructor-led training is a testament to its efficacy in the modern learning environment.

"Live, instructor-led training is a crucial element of a comprehensive and multimodal skilling strategy in today's workplace," said Mr. Bance. "I am thrilled to join Skillsoft at this juncture and look forward to collaborating with our partners and customers to elevate our digital and in-person live learning solutions."

Mr. Bance most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer of QA, one of the United Kingdom’s largest providers of IT and digital skills solutions, where he led the rollout of the strategic company vision and handled the day-to-day business operations across a variety of disciplines. Prior to that, he was the Managing Director of the Learning Services division of Capita Group, leading more than 1,000 employees. Previously, he was a Managing Partner at ShiftPoint ME, a digital enablement consultancy, and CEO of Restrata LLC, a security and risk technology subscription business.

Mr. Bance holds a degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of Wales, Cardiff.

About Skillsoft

Skillsoft (NYSE: SKIL) delivers transformative learning experiences that propel organizations and people to grow together. The Company partners with enterprise organizations and serves a global community of learners to prepare today’s employees for tomorrow’s economy. With Skillsoft, customers gain access to blended, multimodal learning experiences that do more than build skills, they grow a more capable, adaptive, and engaged workforce. Through a portfolio of best-in-class content, a platform that is personalized and connected to customer needs, world-class tech and a broad ecosystem of partners, Skillsoft drives continuous growth and performance for employees and their organizations by overcoming critical skill gaps and unlocking human potential.

Cautionary Notes Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This document includes statements that are, or may be deemed to be, “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created by those laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, that address activities, events or developments that we expect or anticipate may occur in the future, including our expectation to enhance our instructor-led training offerings and our ability to drive growth in this segment, are forward-looking statements and may be based on current expectations, estimates or projections about our industry, management’s beliefs or certain assumptions made by management. Also, when we use words such as “may”, “will”, “would”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “project”, “forecast”, “seek”, “outlook”, “target”, “goal”, “probably”, or similar expressions, we are making forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Skillsoft’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, and we caution you against unduly relying on these forward-looking statements.

Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include those described under “Risk Factors” in our Form 10‑K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024, and subsequent periodic reports. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements included in our other periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein, except as required by law.

Although we believe that the assumptions underlying our forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of these assumptions, and therefore also the forward-looking statements based on these assumptions, could themselves prove to be incorrect, and actual results or outcomes may vary materially from those projected in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements.

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