CERTICOM OPENS SILICON VALLEY OFFICE AND APPOINTS NEW MEMBERS TO MANAGEMENT TEAM; C. William Ferguson And Bruce MacInnis To Drive Leading Security Company's Global Expansion And Development Strategies.

TORONTO, Canada--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 4, 1996--Certicom Corp., ("Certicom") (CDN: CERT), a leading information security company, today announced the official opening of its new office in Silicon Valley and the appointment of U.S.-based C. William Ferguson as vice president of business development and Canadian-based Bruce MacInnis, chief financial officer and vice president of finance.

Certicom's strategy is to license its Elliptic Curve Cryptosystem (ECC) technology to major OEM customers working in the wireless, smart card, and electronic commerce markets. To better serve these markets in the United States, Certicom is developing a "center of excellence" in Silicon Valley.

As Vice President of Business Development, C. William Ferguson will lead the development of new technology licenses and corporate alliances in the United States out of Certicom's new office in Silicon Valley.

"Ferguson's vast experience in new market development and strategic partnerships combined with key technical knowledge of the security market is sure to broaden Certicom's relationships in the United States," said Gary Hughes, president and CEO of Certicom. "He will be pivotal in his new role, working closely with Certicom's senior management team to bring Certicom's leading edge elliptic curve technology to major computer and communications companies."

Most recently, Ferguson was a consultant with Arundel Group, Inc. At Arundel, Ferguson was a global channel consultant for companies in the security, Internet and communication markets. Previously, he was Vice President, Marketing and Sales at Semaphore Communications in Santa Clara, California.

"I am extremely pleased to join such an innovative and dynamic company as Certicom," said Mr. Ferguson. "My goal is to be part of the team that brings this company to the next level by accelerating the deployment of the company's ECC technology to United States markets."

Ferguson holds a Master's of Business Administration from Amos Truck School, Dartmouth College and a Bachelor of Science Degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Maine.

As Vice President of Finance, MacInnis' primary charter at Certicom is to assist in the growth of the company. MacInnis inherits the company's CFO responsibilities from Philip Deck, who will remain Chairman of Certicom Corp.

"We are delighted to welcome Bruce as CFO and Vice President of Finance at Certicom," said Hughes. "His extensive experience in dealing with high-growth and geographically diverse companies, financing, public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, make him ideally suited for Certicom's strategy moving forward."

Prior to joining Certicom, MacInnis served as Vice President, Administration for Media Buying Services Limited in Toronto. Previously, Mr. MacInnis was Vice President of Finance and Administration at Dun & Bradstreet Software Services Canada L.P. and worked for Computer Associates/Software International.

Mr. MacInnis holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Toronto, Canada and is a chartered accountant.

Certicom is a developer of information security products and technologies and is the leader in Elliptic Curve Cryptosystems, the world's most efficient public-key technology. The Company specializes in applications where the combination of cryptographic strength and high efficiency are critical. Certicom's primary markets are in wireless, smart cards, banking and electronic commerce over the Internet. Certicom shares are quoted on the Canadian Dealing Network under the symbol "CERT."

For more information, visit Certicom's home page at www.certicom.ca.

CONTACT: Jennifer Vancini

Certicom Corp.

Tel [phone]

[e-mail]

or

Anne Gowan/Sheri Dupart

Miller/Shandwick Technologies

Tel [phone]

[e-mail]

[e-mail]