Robert Taylor NELSEN, aged 60, was appointed as our Director on April 23, 2010 and re-designed as a non-executive director on May 11, 2018. He is the Chairman of our Board, the Chairman of the Nomination Committee and a member of the Strategy Committee, and has also been a director of our subsidiary, Hua HK, since August 2010.
Since 1994, Mr. Nelsen has served as a co-founder and managing director of ARCH Venture Partners, a venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology companies, and has played a significant role in the early sourcing, financing and development of more than 30 biopharmaceutical companies. Mr. Nelsen has been serving as a non-executive director of Brii Biosciences Limited 騰盛博藥生物科技有限公司 (stock code: 2137) since June 2018, a company listed on the main board of the Stock Exchange. He has also been serving as a director of PRIME Medicine (stock code: PRME) since September 2019 which went public in October 2022, Sana Biotechnology (stock code: SANA) since September 2018, independent director of Lyell Immunopharm (stock code: LYEL) since August 2018, and director of Vir Biotechnology Inc. (stock code: VIR) since January 2017, and previously served as a director of Renovation Healthcare Acquisition Corp. (stock code: REVH) from March 2021 to April 2022, Sienna Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (stock code: SNNA) from August 2015 to October 2018, Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (stock code: SYRS) from August 2012 to June 2018, Juno Therapeutics, Inc. (stock code: JUNO) from August 2013 to March 2018, KYTHERA Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (stock code: KYTH) from January 2006 to December 2014, Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc. (stock code: AGIO) from December 2007 to June 2017, Sage Therapeutics, Inc. (stock code: SAGE) from September 2013 to March 2016, Bellerophon Therapeutics, Inc. (stock code: BLPH) from February 2014 to November 2015, Adolor Corporation (stock code: ADLR) from November 1994 to May 2004, Illumina, Inc. (stock code: ILMN) from June 1998 to August 2006, Fate Therapeutics, Inc. (stock code: FATE) from September 2007 to June 2014, and NeurogesX, Inc. (stock code: NGSX) from July 2000 to July 2013, and Unity Biotechnology, Inc. (stock code: UBX) from November 2011 to December 2020, Karuna Therapeutics Inc. (stock code: KRTX) from August 2018 to June 2021, Beam Therapeutics Inc. (stock code: BEAM) from June 2017 to June 2021 and Denali Therapeutics, Inc. (stock code: DNLI) from May 2015 to June 2022, all of which are companies listed on NASDAQ stock market in the United States. Subsequent to June 29, 2012, NGSX shares were quoted on the Over the Counter Bulletin Board (OTC) in the United States. Mr. Nelsen also previously served as a trustee of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Mr. Nelsen received a Bachelor of Science degree with majors in economics and biology from the University of Puget Sound in the United States in 1985 and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago in the United States in 1987.
Li CHEN (陳力), aged 61, is our founder, Chief Executive Officer, and the Chairman of the Company’s Strategy Committee. He was appointed as a Director on June 4, 2010 and re-designated as an executive Director on May 11, 2018. He has been our Chief Executive Officer since June 4, 2010. Since August 2010, March 2011, April 2020, February 2021 and December 2022, respectively, he has served as a director of Hua HK, Hua Shanghai, Hua USA, Hua Lingang and Nanjing AscendRare.
Dr. Chen has over 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. He is a pioneer in collaborative innovation in China and has been actively involved in the development of dorzagliatin including the years he spent at Roche (from whom we acquired our rights to dorzagliatin in 2011). Dr. Chen joined Roche in 1992 in the United States, focusing on R&D. Dr. Chen held many leadership positions rising to become a member of Roche’s Research Leadership Team. In his last position at Roche before joining the Group, he served as the founding director and chief scientific officer of Roche China R&D Center in Shanghai, China. In that role, Dr. Chen was responsible for development and implementation of Roche China drug discovery strategy, creation of China discovery portfolio, and management of China operations with several drugs from the Roche R&D portfolio during his tenure (including dorzagliatin).
Dr. Chen obtained his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Zhengzhou University in July 1982, a Master of Science in Chemistry from East China Normal University in November 1985 in Shanghai and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in August 1992 from Iowa State University in the United States. He is an inventor of 38 granted patents and has authored 58 scientific publications. From September 2007 to September 2010, Dr. Chen served as an adjunct professor at Tongji University in Shanghai. In 2001, Dr. Chen served as the President of the Sino-American Pharmaceutical Professionals Association (“SAPA”).
From 2014 to October 2020, Dr. Chen has served as an independent director of Coland Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd (康聯(lián)藥業(yè)有限公司), a company primarily engaged in sales, marketing and distribution of pharmaceutical products and medical devices, which listed on Taiwan Stock Exchange (stock code: 4144) and withdrew from listing due to privatization effective on 30 October 2020.
George Chien Cheng LIN (林潔誠), aged 53, was appointed as our Director on May 11, 2018 and re-designated as an executive Director on the same date. He has served as the Company’s Executive Vice President since December 22, 2017, the Company’s Chief Strategy Officer since March 30, 2023 and currently is a member of the Strategy Committee. From December 22, 2017 through March 30, 2023, Mr. Lin also served as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Lin has been serving as a member of the Biotech Advisory Panel of the Stock Exchange since April 24, 2018. Mr. Lin has over 19 years of experience in investment banking, working with numerous private and public companies globally. Prior to joining the Group, he worked for Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong as an investment banker, and held a number of senior positions including Asia Pacific head of consumer, retail and healthcare investment banking, and head of Hong Kong and Taiwan investment banking coverage from June 2013 to December 2017. From July 2000 to May 2013, he worked for Credit Suisse as an investment banker in the Los Angeles, San Francisco and Hong Kong offices. At Credit Suisse, he focused on financings and merger and acquisitions for a variety of global clients, including, but not limited to, U.S. biotechnology companies and Chinese healthcare companies. His last position at Credit Suisse was Asia Pacific (ex-Japan) head of consumer, retail and healthcare investment banking based in Hong Kong. Prior to investment banking, Mr. Lin practiced corporate law in Los Angeles including working for O’Melveny & Myers for over 4 years from September 1995 to July 1999. Mr. Lin served as an independent non-executive director at Shanghai Bio-heart Biological Technology Co., Ltd., a company first listed on the main board of the Stock Exchange (stock code: 2185) on December 23, 2021, from November 2020 until June 2023.
Mr. Lin obtained his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of California at Davis in June 1992 and a juris doctor degree from The University of Chicago Law School in June 1995. Mr. Lin was admitted to the California State Bar in December 1995.
Dr. Yi ZHANG (張怡), aged 49, has been appointed as an executive Director with such appointment to take effect from January 1, 2024. Dr. Zhang has been serving as the Senior Vice President of the Clinical Research and Development (“R&D”) division of the Company since April 2018. In August 2020, Dr. Zhang was promoted to the Senior Vice President of Pharma Development of the Company and the Company’s Chief Medical Officer – China. In November 2021, Dr. Zhang served as the Senior Vice President of Pharma Development of the Company and the Company’s Chief Medical Officer. Prior to joining the Group in February 2013 as the Head of the Clinical R&D division of the Company, Dr. Zhang was the associate medical director of clinical science at Roche Product Development group (“Roche”), Asia Pacific region since early 2010. She served as a clinical scientist for innovative drug development in the areas of cardiovascular, metabolic and renal diseases. Prior to Roche, Dr. Zhang was as an Associate Professor and Physician worked at Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and as Physician worked at Shanghai Renji Hospital, affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, from December 1999 to October 2010. Dr. Zhang received her bachelor and master’s degrees in Clinical Medicine from Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine in China in June 1997 and June 1999 respectively, and her PhD degree in Cardiology from Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine in China in June 2004. As a Visiting Researcher, she studied at National Institutes of Health NIH/ NHLBI Framingham Heart Study in the USA in 2009. Dr. Zhang was nominated as a “Shanghai Excelling Academic/Technical Leader” (上海市優(yōu)秀學(xué)術(shù)╱技術(shù)帶頭人) in 2015 and has authored 60 publications in journals such as Nature Genetics, Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol, Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics, and has invented 3 China patents.
Dr. Fangxin LI, aged 31, has been appointed as a non-executive Director on October 12, 2023. He is primarily responsible for providing overall guidance on the business and strategic development of the Group. He also serves as a member of the Remuneration Committee with effect from October 12, 2023.
Dr. Li has been serving as the senior investment manager of WuXi AppTec Singapore Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of WuXi AppTec Co., Ltd.* (無錫藥明康德新藥開發(fā)股份有限公司), a company listed on the Stock Exchange (stock code: 2359), and is primarily responsible for direct investment and portfolio management in healthcare industry, since April 2021. He was a consultant of Bain & Company, a management consulting firm, and was primarily responsible for providing strategy and conducting commercial due diligence for healthcare players, from April 2019 to December 2020. He was a cofounder and the chief executive officer of HAIKUI Regenerative Medicine, and was primarily responsible for research and development in cartilage and dermal implantation technologies, from August 2016 to January 2019.
Dr. Li received his bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Imperial College London in the United Kingdom in June 2014. He obtained a PhD degree in Tissue Engineering from University of Oxford in the United Kingdom in September 2018.
William Robert KELLER, aged 75, was appointed as independent non-executive Director on August 26, 2018, effective from September 14, 2018. He is also the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee as well as a member of the Audit Committee and Nomination Committee. Mr. Keller is primarily responsible for supervising and providing independent judgment to our Board.
Since May 2017, Mr. Keller has served as an independent non-executive director on the board of WuXi Biologics, a company primarily engaged in biologics services provision and listed on the main board of the Stock Exchange (stock code: 2269). Since August 2020, he serves as non executive director on the Board of Cathay Biotech Inc, an industrial biotechnology company and listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s STAR market (stock code: SS688065.SS). Mr. Keller had been appointed as director of Artisan Acquisition Corp. (stock code: ARTA) on March 8, 2021, a company which is listed on NASDAQ stock market in the United States. From December 2010 to October 2020, he holds directorship at Coland Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a company listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (stock code: 4144) and withdrawal from listing due to privatization effective on 30 October 2020. From September 2014 to December 2015, Mr. Keller served as an independent director of WuXi PharmaTech, a biopharmaceutical company formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange during the same period. Between 1974 to 2003, Mr. Keller served in various positions at the Roche Group, including as the general manager of Roche China Ltd. and Shanghai Roche Pharmaceutical Ltd. He has been a vice chairman of the Shanghai Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment, a senior consultant to the Shanghai Foreign Investment Development Board, and the deputy general manager of Zhangjiang Biotech and Pharmaceutical Base Development Co., Ltd. Mr. Keller previously held directorships in biopharmaceutical companies including Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a company listed on NASDAQ (stock code: ALXN) from December 2009 to May 2015, China Nuokang Pharmaceutical Inc., a company listed on NASDAQ (stock code: NKBP) from August 2008 to December 2011. He has also served as a chairman of HBM Biomed China Partners and Coland Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.
Mr. Keller obtained a Bachelor of Science degrees from the School of Economics and Business Administration in Switzerland in July 1972.
Yiu Wa Alec TSUI (徐耀華), aged 74, was appointed as an independent non-executive Director on August 26, 2018, effective from September 14, 2018. He is also a member of the Audit Committee, Nomination Committee and Remuneration Committee. Mr. Tsui has extensive experience in finance and administration, corporate and strategic planning, information technology and human resources management. He served at various positions, including the chief executive of the Stock Exchange from February 1997 to August 2000, the chief operating officer of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited from March 2000 to August 2000 and the chairman of Hong Kong Securities Institute from December 2001 to December 2004. Mr. Tsui was the chairman and director of WAG Worldsec Corporate Finance Limited, a private professional consulting services and financial solutions company from February 2006 to June 2016, and presently serves as a director to WAG Worldsec Management Consultancy Limited.
Mr. Tsui is an independent non-executive director of a number of companies listed in Hong Kong, namely, COSCO Shipping International (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd., (stock code: 517) since February 2004, Pacific Online Limited (stock code: 543) since November 2007, and Brii Biosciences Limited (stock code: 2137) since July 2021. He also serves as independent director of two NASDAQ listed companies, ATA Creativity Global (previous known as ATA Inc.) (stock code: AACG) since January 2008 and Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited (stock code: MLCO) since December 2006. From December 2012 to November 2020, Mr. Tsui also served as independent director of Melco Resorts and Entertainment (Philippines) Corporation (stock code: MRP), a company listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange and withdrawal from listing effective on June 11, 2019. Mr. Tsui is also an independent nonexecutive director of Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (Asia) Limited, a company previously listed in Hong Kong, since August 2000. He also served as independent non-executive directors in various other Hong Kong listed companies, including China Power International Development Limited (stock code: 2380) from March 2004 to December 2016, China Oilfield Services Limited (stock code: 2883) from June 2009 to June 2015, Summit Ascent Holdings Limited (stock code: 102) from March 2011 to September 2018, Kangda International Environmental Company Limited (stock code: 6136) from July 2014 to April 2019, and DTXS Silk Road Investment Holdings Company Limited (stock code: 620) from December 2015 to May 2020.
Mr. Tsui graduated from the University of Tennessee in the United States, with a bachelor’s degree in science in industrial engineering in June 1975 and a master’s degree in engineering in June 1976. He completed the programme for senior managers in government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in the United States in August 1993.
Mr. Yiu Leung Andy CHEUNG (張耀樑), aged 64, was appointed as an independent non-executive Director on January 1, 2023. He is primarily responsible for supervising and providing independent view to the Board. Mr. Cheung also serve as the chairman of the Audit Committee.
Mr. Cheung has over 30 years of professional accounting and auditing experience. He has been serving as (i) an independent nonexecutive director and the chairman of the audit committee of JW (Cayman) Therapeutics Co. Ltd, a company listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the “Stock Exchange”) (stock code: 2126), since October 2020; (ii) as an independent director and the chairman of the audit committee of Adagene Inc., a company listed on NASDAQ Stock Exchange in the United States (stock code: ADAG), since February 2021; (iii) an independent non-executive director and chairman of the audit committee of CanSino Biologics Inc., a company listed on the Stock Exchange (stock code: 6185) and on the Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market (stock code: 688185) since February 2024; (iv) an independent non-executive Director and member of the nomination committee of Genscript Biotech Corporation, a company listed on the Stock Exchange (stock code: 1548) since April 2024.
From July 2018 to June 2020, Mr. Cheung was the deputy area managing partner of Ernst & Young (“EY”) in Asia Pacific, overseeing its business operations, finance, information technology and risk management functions. He was a member of EY Asia Pacific’s Area Operating Executives, EY’s Global Accounts Committee and EY’s Global Markets and Investment Committee during that period. From July 2013 to June 2018, Mr. Cheung was the assurance managing partner for EY in Greater China, managing its audit, financial accounting advisory, forensic and climate change and sustainability services in the Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. He was a member of EY Greater China’s Leadership Team during that period. From July 2011 to June 2013, Mr. Cheung was the chief operating officer of EY Hua Ming LLP. From July 2010 to June 2011, Mr. Cheung was an assurance partner of EY China. From July 2009 to June 2010, Mr. Cheung worked as the area chief financial officer of EY Asia Pacific and led the effort to set up EY’s China Overseas Investment Network in 2007. Prior to joining EY as assurance partner in 2006, Mr. Cheung was an assurance partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers China and Arthur Andersen China.
Mr. Cheung received his bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from the University of Lancaster in the United Kingdom in June 1982. He obtained a master’s degree in accounting and finance from London School of Economics in the United Kingdom in August 1983. He has been a member of Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants since October 1986 and served as a member of its disciplinary panel from January 2015 to December 2020.
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Li CHEN
Robert Taylor NELSEN
George Chien Cheng LIN
William Robert KELLER
Fangxin LI
Yiu Wa Alec TSUI
Yiu Leung Andy CHEUNG (Chairman)