Speaker Bios

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The following speakers are presenting at SEED Kickoff Meeting - Hong Kong. (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.

Stephen Lam, PhD, MBA - Senior Manager, Life Science/Biotech, Marketing & Admission, HKSTP

Stephen Lam, PhD, MBA joined the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) in November 2006 and is currently a Senior Manager, with the responsibility to develop the Life Sciences and Biotechnology cluster. He brings to the organization over two decades of research, management, and business development experience in the biotechnology industry. Prior to joining HKSTP, Dr. Lam served roles of increasing impact at several multi-national corporations including CIBA-Geigy, Novartis, Syngenta, and Pioneer (a DuPont Company). He also served as founder and Chief Operating Officer of Aryzun Pharmaceuticals, an early-stage drug deve lopment company focused on infectious diseases and oncology. He earned his B.A. at the University of Oregon, his MBA at Duke University, and his Ph.D. at the University of Utah. Dr. Lam is an inventor on 16 issued US patents and authored over two dozen scientific publications.

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.

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.

Albert Yu, PhD - Chariman & CEO, Hai Kang Life Corporation Ltd.

Dr. Yu is a renowned neuroscientist and bio-entrepreneur. Educated in North America, Professor Yu is the Vice-Director of the Neuroscience Research Institute, Professor of the Department of Neurobiology and also a Professor at the Infectious Disease Center at Peking University. His broad cross-cultural experience base and active involvement in both the academic and business environment has led to the strategic vision behind the success of the HK Life team. Also, with a global network and an expanding base of established contacts in China, Prof. Yu has been an important facilitator of dialogue regarding the development of biotechnology in Asia. After receiving his BSc, MSc and PhD from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, Prof. Yu moved to the University of California at San Francisco and subsequently spent four years at Stanford University and was honored with the status of Visiting Associate Professor. Upon returning to Hong Kong, he joined the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology as a faculty member. Prof. Yu has also spent time as a guest professor at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, visiting professor at The First Military Medical University and visiting investigator at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Over his academic and research career, Prof. Yu has published 3 books and over 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles and conference papers. He is also the co-inventor of numerous technologies with 17 patents granted and others pending.