Appointment of Iain Macdonald

Premier Oil plc (the "Company")

Board Changes

Premier is pleased to announce that Iain Macdonald will join the Company's Board as an independent Non-Executive Director and member of the Audit & Risk Committee with effect from 1 May 2016. Iain Macdonald will stand for election by shareholders at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting to be held on 11 May 2016.

Iain spent 30 years at BP in a variety of engineering, licensing, business management and finance roles culminating in 3 years as Deputy Group CFO for BP plc. On leaving BP, in 2010, Iain joined North Sea Oil and Gas independent, Fairfield Energy plc as CFO where he served until 2014. He was a Non-Executive Director of TNK-BP Ltd from 2009 to 2011 and became a Non-Executive director of Skills For Health Ltd in 2013, a role that he continues to hold today. Iain is currently a Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee at SUEK PLC. He is also a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.

David Lindsell, currently Chairman of Premier's Audit & Risk Committee, will stay on the Board and act as Chairman of the Audit & Risk Committee throughout the forthcoming external audit tender process, which is likely to take place in the fourth quarter of this year. Iain Macdonald will take on the role of Chairman of the Audit & Risk Committee upon the retirement of David Lindsell, which is anticipated to be at the Company's 2017 Annual General Meeting.

Mike Welton, Chairman, commented:

"I am delighted to welcome Iain to the Board and am absolutely confident that his experience and skills will be of enormous value to the Board and the Company as a whole."

Enquiries:

Premier Oil plcTony Durrant, CEOTel: 020 7730 1111

Bell Pottinger

Gavin DavisHenry LerwillTel: 0203 772 2500

Additional information

No other information is required to be disclosed in relation to the appointment of Iain Macdonald pursuant to paragraph 9.6.13R of the FCA's Listing Rules.