Speaker Bios

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The following speakers are presenting at SEED Kickoff Meeting - Guangzhou. (See Program for a detailed schedule.) Return to Speakers page.

Speakers and Panelists:

Frank Grams, PhD - Global Business Development Director, Roche Global Pharma Partnering

Frank has been instrumental in setting up the Shanghai office of Roche Pharma Partnering. The office is strengthening Roche’s presence in the region and is mainly responsible for partnering activities in Korea, Singapore and Greater China including Taiwan and Hong Kong. Prior to taking up this post, from 2006 Frank was Global Head, Drug Delivery Partnering, responsible for both the strategic and life-cycle management activities related to drug delivery partnering. Frank was a Global Alliance Director from 2002, managing pivotal research alliances such as Chugai, Evotec, SGX, Syrrx and Biotie. He has been involved in about 100 transactions including product and technology deals, in- and out-licensing opportunities and also an acquisition. Frank joined the Roche Pharma Partnering team as Head of Opportunity Surveillance in July 2001, having previously worked in various research functions in Roche and at Boehringer Mannheim GmbH. Frank has a degree in chemistry from the University of Heidelberg and a Ph.D. from the Technical University of Munich within the group of Nobel laureate Robert Huber (Max-Planck-Institute for Biochemistry at Martinsried). His more than 40 papers have been published in well known peer-reviewed journals such as Nature Structural Biology, Journal of Molecular Biology etc. and have been cited about a thousand times. Five of them have been cited even more than a hundred times. He is also the co-author on 19 patents and patent applications.

Shengfeng Li, PhD - CEO, Sinoasis Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.

Dr. Shengfeng Li has over 14 years of experience in biotechnology industry. He is currently an interim CEO of Sinoasis Pharma, Ltd. (Guangzhou, China), a leading biotech in China focusing on the development of treatment for coronary heart diseases, cancers, and other life threatening conditions. Previously, he was a co-founder and founding Chief Scientific Officer of Abmaxis, Inc., California (acquired by Merck). While at Abmaxis, he pioneered developing a novel genetic system for human antibody screening and selection. His team isolated many fully human antibodies with high affinity and specificity, including antibodies against human cellular receptor proteins involved in cancers. Prior to co-founding Abmaxis, he was employed at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, (now Takeda, US). Dr. Li received his PhD in Microbiology from the University of Georgia in 1991, and afterwards, he worked as a Donaghue Foundation postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Li was responsible for the identification of 14-3-3 family of proteins as Raf kinase signaling regulatory molecules. Dr. Li is an author on multiple publications and inventor on several patents in the areas of target identification, drug discovery, and antibody engineering.

Rajesh Parekh, PhD - Director, Head of Asia Healthcare Practice, McKinsey & Company

Dr. Rajesh (Raj) Parekh, a Director in the Shanghai Office of McKinsey & Company is the leader of McKinsey’s Asia healthcare practice. Since moving to Shanghai in 2005, he has focused his efforts primarily on serving pharmaceutical and medical device clients across Asia on growth strategy, R&D strategy, M&A, and business unit strategy related issues. Some of his recent experiences in include:

• Help a leading global pharmaceutical company develop strategy and plans for significant expansion of clinical development activities in Asia
• Helped a global top 3 Pharmaceutical company develop perspective on healthcare provider and financing system evolution in China, and implement innovative financing related ideas to turbo charge growth
• Developed a growth strategy for a global hospital equipment company across China/Korea/India, including assessment of R&D offshoring opportunity and strategy for partnerships with hospitals
• Helped define the 5-year China growth strategy for a global leader in medical devices – with particular focus on expansion of product portfolio and physician education initiatives

Dr. Parekh holds a doctorate in chemical engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with focus on biochemical engineering (research thesis on production of biopharmaceuticals in genetically engineered yeast) and a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from University of California at San Diego.

Marc Schueler, MD, PhD, MBA - Director Venturing, DSM

Dr. Schueler has been active in Venture Capital for more than 10 years investing in more than 40 companies and VC funds worldwide generating an overall IRR of 26%. He was a partner in 4 VC funds with a combined raised capital of more than US$ 500 million and is since 2009 located in Beijing to set-up a new Investment Vehicle for China for the Dutch Life & Material Sciences Company DSM, whose global Venture Capital program he had build up in the last 6 years. Previously he held Senior Executive Positions at Procter& Gamble and McKinsey in Europe and the USA. He is a MD graduate and qualified Eye Surgeon from the University of Heidelberg and holds a PhD from the University of Freiburg in immunology and internal medicine as well as a MBA from the University of Bradford, UK, with a specialisation in Finance.

Greg B. Scott - President and Founder, ChinaBio® LLC

Mr. Scott has helped launch over thirty life science startups in the U.S. and China as a founder, investor and advisor. He founded the ChinaBio® LLC in January 2007 to help fund and mentor early stage life science companies in China, and provide consulting and research services to pharma and biotech companies with business interests in China. Mr. Scott is also the president and co-founder of Life Science Angels, an angel investment group that has funded 30 biotechnology and medical device companies since 2005, and executive editor of ChinaBio® Today. He is also a strategic adviser to ChinaSF, an initiative of the Mayor of San Francisco to connect China and San Francisco business interests. He previously held senior executive positions at Price Waterhouse, Capgemini and MCI, and was co-founder of a 200-person consulting firm. Mr. Scott attended University of Missouri, where he studied mathematics, microbiology and computer science.

Jonathan Wang, PhD, MBA - Senior Managing Director, OrbiMed Asia

Dr. Jonathan Wang is a Senior Managing Director, at OrbiMed Asia. He is a general partner at OrbiMed’s Asia-focused VC fund. Previously, he was General Manager at Burrill Greater China Group and worked for WI Harper Group and Walden International, two pioneers in the Asia-related VC industry. At WI Harper, Dr. Wang was a Managing Director, overseeing the firm’s life sciences activities worldwide. There he co-founded and incubated Bridge Laboratories. Dr. Wang is a Board Director at ForteBio, Inc. He is also co-founder and former Chairman of The BayHelix Group, an organization of Chinese life sciences business leaders. He holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Neurobiology from Columbia University, where he obtained scientific training under the supervision of Dr. Eric Kandel, a Nobel Laureate. Dr. Wang also earned an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

Zoe Wang, PhD, JD - Partner, Perkins Coie LLP

Zoe Wang focuses her practice on patent infringement and validity opinions, patent prosecution, freedom-to-operate analyses, patentability analyses, technology transfers and licensing. Her work involves technologies in the fields of life sciences, nanotechnologies, data processing, and devices. She also has experience advising clients in public offerings and private placements of equity and debt securities, mergers and acquisitions, counseling companies on general corporate matters, and advising clients with respect to the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. She received her JD from Columbia University School of Law in 1999 and her PhD in cell biology and biophysics from Duke University in 1996.

Stella Xu, PhD - Executive Director, Roche Global Pharma Partnering

Dr. Stella Xu is a Executive Director with Roche Global Pharma Partnering. Her major responsibilities include searching potential licensing opportunities (products / technologies), and supporting transaction discussions & alliance management with Asian partners. Prior to her current position, Stella had held multiple global positions in Roche Pharma Partnering and led more than 30 product-focused due diligence projects and alliances such as Toyama, Japan Tobacco, and Maxygen. Stella joined Roche from McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm that provides strategic advices to the top management of global business leaders. At McKinsey, she led consulting engagements with biopharmaceutical clients in areas ranging from R&D strategy, marketing & sales, to corporate development and M&A activities. Prior to McKinsey, Stella was a research scientist with Isis Pharmaceuticals. Stella received her BS in Biophysics from Peking University; her PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology from Northwestern University.