Speaker Bios

Nearly 50 senior executives and experts from China-based or international industries companies, law firms and investors will be providing the latest updates on China market and insights into China's emerging biotechnology industry and how to launch and build a successful life science company in China at the ChinaBio^® Partnering Forum 2010.

>> View the Workshops & Panels agenda

Welcome Remarks:

Carola Schropp, MBA, MTS -  Founder & President, EBD Group

Carola Schropp is Founder and President of EBD Group and widely recognized as one of the original proponents of our global and interconnected bio-economy. Over the past 15 years, Carola has built EBD Group into the leading partnering firm in the life science market. Under her leadership, EBD Group has grown into an organization that today spans five international partnering events on three continents that generate over 30,000 one-to-one meetings annually, and features partnering services for dozens of other events worldwide. In addition to managing the day-to-day operations of the firm, Carola is focused on bringing EBD Group partnering events to new international markets, and developing new services and technologies that foster more collaboration and growth of the biotech industry. She holds a Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) and an MTS degree, both from Emory University, Atlanta, GA.

Greg B. Scott - President & 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.

Yuwen Liu, MBA - General Manager, Suzhou/BioBay

Liu Yuwen graduated from China Pharmaceutical University with an Ms in Pharmaceutics and MBA at Fudan University, China and Norwegian Management School, and is a licensed pharmacist. She started her career with Capsugel^® , a division of Pfizer in Suzhou, China as a quality engineer in 1997 and was promoted to be QA manager in April 1998. In May 2000, following strategic expansion of Capsugel China, she transferred to New Business Development department managing new product market opportunity exploration in great China region. In May 2003, she moved to Shanghai as General Manager to set up the representative office for Perrigo Company (the world’s largest manufacturer of OTC pharmaceutical and nutritional products for the store brand market) and is taking charge of all related market development activities including JV’s in China as well as supply management in other Asia Pacific regions such as Japan, Korea, Taiwan etc. In Dec. 2005, she moved back to Suzhou as executive vice president for BioBay, a bio science park funded by Suzhou Industrial Park, whose mission is to build an integrated comprehensive platform for biotech, pharmaceutical and nanotech research and development in China. August, 2007, she became the general manager of BioBay, vice president of Suzhou Ventures Group, assistance director of Suzhou Industrial Park Science & Technology Bureau.

Keynote Speakers:

David Chen, MD, MBA - Executive Vice President & COO, 3SBio Inc.

Dr. David Chen joined the 3SBio in 2007 mainly responsible for developing growth strategies and pursuing strategic business opportunities, M&A and external alliances. He is also key member of the executive committee overseeing the commercial operations. Prior to joining 3SBio, Dr. Chen held various managerial positions in the US pharmaceutical industry, including business development, sales and marketing, market research, new product development and R&D portfolio management both with Eli Lilly and GlaxoSmithKline. Prior to his experience in the US, Dr. Chen was a practicing orthopedic surgeon at Shanghai Medical University from 1989 to 1992. He received a medical degree from the First Military Medical University in Guangzhou, China, and earned a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Edward Hu, MBA - COO, WuXi Apptec

Mr. Edward Hu currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at WuXi AppTec. Ed joined the WuXi AppTec in August 2007 as Executive Vice President of Operations. He led the acquisition of US CRO AppTec Laboratory Services and managed the post merger integration and WuXi AppTec’s US operations; from February 2009 till may 2010, Ed was the Acting Chief Financial Officer in addition to his COO role; Previously Ed held management positions at Tanox, Inc., served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from February 2006 to July 2007 and managed the acquisition of Tanox by Genentech, Vice President of Operations from January 2005 until January 2006. From January 2004 until January 2005, Ed served as Vice President - Financial Planning, Project & Portfolio Management, where he managed both internal and collaborative projects and oversaw the project portfolio review process. Ed had been Director of Finance from July 2002 to January 2004 and previously served as Associate Director of Financial Planning and Analysis from the time he joined Tanox in October 2000. From 1998 to 2000, he held the position of Manager of Business and Financial Planning with Biogen, Inc. (n/k/a Biogen Idec, Inc.), where he managed the business planning of Biogen's R&D and clinical operations, managed long range planning, and provided project planning and analysis support to key development project teams. From 1996 to 1998 he was a Senior Financial Analyst with Merck & Co., Inc. Ed received his MBA and completed his PhD work, all but dissertation, in Biophysics and Biochemistry at Carnegie Mellon University.

Kewen Jin, PhD - General Manager, Charles River Greater China

Kewen Jin is currently General Manager of Charles River Laboratories (CRL) China preclinical service company. He was founder/CEO of BioExplorer, a preclinical CRO which formed a JV with CRL in 2007. Kewen has co-founded and served as key executive (CEO, CBO, and founding partner) for three other companies in the R&D outsourcing, drug discovery, and consulting. He served as advisor to several MNC pharma and healthcare companies, major consulting and investment firms. Previously, he was a marketing and international operation executive with Wyeth, first five years in the U.S. , then two years in Beijing. He is a Senior Advisor to Shanghai Pudong Government. He was granted the 2005 Magnolia Award, which the Shanghai government grants to individuals making major contribution to the development of Shanghai. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Bayhelix and Sino American Pharmaceutical Association (SAPA), two leading Chinese life science professional organizations. He was trained in medicine (Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine), biology (Rockefeller), finance (Columbia).

Xin Ma, PhD - Head of Global Drug Discovery-Innovation Center China, Bayer Schering Pharma

Dr. Xin Ma is the Head of Global Drug Discovery-Innovation Center China (GDD-ICC) of Bayer Schring Pharma (BSP), located in Beijing, China. Her organization is responsible for all activities of Global Drug Discovery in China covering innovation topics in early research, lead generation and optimization, preclinical development, up to CMC functions. Dr. Ma started her career with Bayer at the Bayer Research Center in West Haven, Connecticut, USA. She served in a number of positions supporting the discovery of new therapeutic agents treating diabetes and cancer. She was relocated to Germany to Corporate Development in the Healthcare Strategic Planning Group in Bayer AG. In mid 2009, Dr. Xin Ma returned to China to establish and to lead the Innovation Center in China. Prior to joining Bayer, Dr. Ma was a Senior Scientist in Chemical Development, at Proctor & Gamble Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Ma did her doctoral research at the Max-Planck Institute in Muelheim an der Ruhr, Germany and received her PhD in Organic Chemistry from the State University of New York, USA.

Greg Wiederrecht, PhD, CLP - VP and Head, External Scientific Affairs, Worldwide Licensing, Merck Research Laboratories

Dr. Greg Wiederrecht is the Vice President and Head of External Scientific Affairs (ESA) in the Merck Research Laboratories division of Merck & Co., Inc. where he has been employed for the past 20 years. ESA is responsible for the scientific assessment of all licensing, partnering, and acquisition opportunities for Merck. Dr. Wiederrecht’s responsibilities include the management of a group of 80 scientists and administrators, distributed worldwide and divided by various therapeutic and platform areas, who identify and assess opportunities outside of Merck’s walls. Dr. Wiederrecht holds a BS degree from the University of California, Irvine and a PhD in biochemistry from MIT. Before joining Merck in 1989, he was a Helen Hay Whitney Post-Doctoral Fellow and an American Cancer Society Senior Post-Doctoral Fellow at Caltech. Dr. Wiederrecht has published 48 peer reviewed manuscripts and book chapters and has been an invited speaker at more than 45 conferences.

Speakers and Panelists:

Brian Cunningham, JD - Senior Counsel and Co-chair of Life Science Group, Morrison & Foerster LLP

Brian Cunningham is Co-Chair of Morrison & Foerster’s Life Sciences Group, based in the firm’s San Francisco office. Mr. Cunningham brings more than 25 years of experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical fields as a senior executive and as one of the top legal advisors within the biopharmaceutical industry. Mr. Cunningham spent seven years as vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary at Genentech; five years as president and COO at Rigel, Inc; and most recently, two years as CEO at Trellis Bioscience, where he was also a member of the board. He currently sits on the board of MacuSight, a privately held therapeutic development company, and is CEO and director of Clerigen Inc., a virtual angel financed gene therapy company. Mr. Cunningham holds a BS in engineering science and a JD from Washington University in St. Louis, where, in law school, he was elected to the Order of the Coif and was an editor of the Law Review. Most recently, he attended the Stanford University School of Business, Corporate Governance Institute, and the University of California, Haas School of Business, Global Bioexecutive Program. From 1992 to 1997, he served at various times as an adjunct professor of law at the Santa Clara University School of Law.

Jie Liu D’Elia, PhD, MBA - Vice President, International Business Development, Simcere Pharma

Dr. Jie Liu D’Elia is the Vice President of International Business Development at Simcere Pharmaceutical, a leading Chinese pharmaceutical company listed on the NYSE. She is based in Seattle, Washington and has the overall responsibility for Simcere’s licensing, strategic alliance, and acquisitions outside of China. Jie joined Simcere from Allozyne, Inc., a Seattle-based biotech company focused on protein engineering, where she served as its Vice President of Business Development and Licensing. Prior to Allozyne, Jie spent two years in Shanghai and served as the Director of Business Development and New Product Planning at AstraZeneca China, where she directed the licensing initiatives and the planning efforts for AstraZeneca’s late-stage products in the China market. Previously, Jie also worked as a Senior Manager of Business Development at Nastech Pharmaceutical and a Consultant at the New York office of the Boston Consulting Group. Jie holds a PhD in Pharmacy from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Alex Fowkes, JD - Executive Director, Head of R&D Business Development, Pfizer Global Research & Development

Alex Fowkes obtained undergraduate degrees in science and law in Australia before joining a private practice law firm in 1994. In 1998 Alex joined Pfizer’s operations in the United Kingdom to provide legal support to its European research and development activities. In 2003 Alex moved to the Pfizer Research and Development Division (PGRD) headquarters in New London, Connecticut to lead the global legal support for PGRD’s world-wide technology transfer activities. At the end of 2006 Alex was appointed to lead PGRD’s Strategic Alliance operations in Asia and relocated to Pfizer’s Research Office in Shanghai.

Michael Heerde, PhD, MBA - Director, Strategy and Business Development, Bayer Healthcare China

Dr. Michael Heerde has worked in China for nearly 10 years, the past 3 years as Director of Strategy and Business Development at Bayer Healthcare China. Previously, as General Manager of Sandoz China he managed the start-up of Novartis' Generics division. Prior to coming to China, he worked at Novartis headquarters in Basel. Michael has extensive management experience, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry including marketing, regulatory affairs, commercial & business development, acquisitions & licensing and general management. He holds a PhD from Munich University, and an MBA from Henley Management College. He has a strong appreciation for China and Chinese culture. In 2004, Michael was presented the Magnolia Award by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, which is "granted to outstanding contributions by expatriates to Shanghai’s economic, social or cultural development". He also translated an ancient Chinese Ming medicine book into German. Michael speaks German, English, Russian, French and Chinese. He is an amateur magician and a passionate swimmer and mountaineer.

Ruediger Herrmann, PhD - Partner, WilmerHale

Dr. Ruediger Herrmann is a partner with WilmerHale. He specializes in life sciences industry and in the last 15 years, he represented both national and international clients in corporate transactions, particularly in public and private mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, private equity and venture capital transactions and intellectual property transactions. He also has experience with strategic alliances, licensing strategies, collaboration and unfair competition matters. Dr. Herrmann is a frequent speaker and lecturer, nationally and internationally, on biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, private equity and M&A topics. He has presented lectures at Bio International, Bio Europe, Bio Equity, the Venture Capital forum and other conferences. He is also frequently recommended in the areas of M&A, Private Equity and Venture Capital, Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Law by JUVE Handbook 2008/2009 .

Avery Ince, MD, PhD - Medical Director, MSD China

Avery Ince has extensive Clinical Development experience designing and executing global clinical trials at MSD. Prior to coming to China, Dr. Ince was the Clinical Research lead for a 17,000 patient Phase III clinical trial conducted in over 30 countries including China. In that capacity, he interacted frequently with a variety of external stakeholders including the US FDA. Most recently, Dr. Ince has served as Medical Director of MSD China. In this role, he oversees a department which conducts global and local clinical trials, engages local scientific leaders, is responsible for pharmacovigilance, and manages the local regulatory environment. Dr. Ince was trained in Internal Medicine and later Endocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Shawn Shiqing Li, JD, PhD - Blank Rome, LLP

Shawn Shiqing Li, JD, PhD is an attorney and scientist who prosecutes U.S. and international patent applications in the areas of biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, computer software, and business methods. He assists in the negotiation and preparation of biotechnology and pharmaceutical licenses and related agreements; due diligence and support in connection with mergers and acquisitions; and intellectual property related opinions, which includes patent validity, infringement, freedom to operate, and patentability opinions. Prior to joining Blank Rome, Dr. Li was a research scientist at University of Pennsylvania. His research focused on using structural biology methods to understand cancer and diabetes related biological and therapeutic systems.

Esther H. Lim, JD - Founding Managing Partner, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP, Shanghai Office

Esther H. Lim is the founding managing partner of the Shanghai office of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP. She has a broad patent practice, including litigation, prosecution, licensing, opinions, due diligence investigations, and portfolio management. She has represented many international companies from Asia, Europe, and the U.S. in complex cases. Ms. Lim frequently lectures and writes internationally on issues relating to procurement and enforcement of U.S. intellectual property rights. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Last Month at the Federal Circuit, Finnegan’s monthly newsletter distributed to subscribers worldwide. Ms. Lim taught advanced patent law and public policy courses as an adjunct professor at Howard University School of Law in the U.S. for six years. Beginning in 2010, she will teach a new IP course to postgraduate law students at Renmin University School of Law in China. Ms. Lim served on the Board of Governors of the D.C. Bar with over 85,000 members and on the Board of Governors for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) representing the interests of over 40,000 attorneys. She is Past President of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington D.C. Area. In 2005, she received NAPABA’s “Best Lawyers Under 40” award. Ms. Lim is a 2007 recipient of the Burton Award for Legal Achievement, a national award for legal writing. Ms. Lim served as a law clerk to the Honorable Randall R. Rader of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Martina Molsbergen - CEO, C14 Consulting Group, LLC

Ms. Martina Molsbergen has 18 years of business development, marketing, and entrepreneurial experience including 8 years of business development experience in biotherapeutics and antibodies. She has proven corporate development strategy and leadership experience within large and small company settings. Most recently, as the Vice President of Business Development (PER. C6 Licensing) at Crucell Holland BV, she established the PER.C6 manufacturing technology platform for therapeutic antibodies and proteins, managed global business development team as well as the joint venture with DSM Biologics. She brought more than twenty new licensing opportunities. Previously as the Vice President of Business Development, Ms. Molsbergen played a key role in establishing and building BioWa, Inc., a novel antibody engineering platform company as a subsidiary of a Japanese company Kyowa Hakko Kogyo (KHK). In three years of business activity, she successfully negotiated more than 15 deals valued at over $2.5 B in future milestone payments and royalties with leading antibody and biopharma companies. She participated with KHK to identify new investment opportunities, and strategic planning for internal product pipeline development. The efforts led to the creation of market value of BioWa to reach over $1B in three years. Ms. Molsbergen received two President’s awards for her achievements. In addition, Ms. Molsbergen has 12+ years of business development experience in small molecule pharmaceutical and manufacturing companies including Patheon, Watson Pharmaceuticals and FMC Corporation. She has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University.

John V. Oyler, MBA - Former CEO, BioDuro, Inc.

Mr. John Oyler is a serial entrepreneur with a track record of success who has started and managed numerous life science and high technology companies. Most recently, Mr. Oyler co-founded, and ran BioDuro, a 670 person outsourced research company in Beijing. Prior to its acquisition by PPD last year, BioDuro had collaborated with 8 of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies and was largely recognized as a leader in providing world-class integrated research services in China. Mr. Oyler was previously CEO of Galenea, co-CEO of Genta, VP of Operations for Walden Laboratories, helped found and run two high technology companies, and was a consultant for McKinsey & Co. in China. Mr. Oyler holds a BS in Engineering from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a MBA from Stanford Business School.

Eric Pierce - Publisher, BioCentury

Mr. Eric Pierce joined BioCentury in 1993 as its first Staff Writer, and became its chief financial writer in 1996, when he originated "Ebb & Flow," BioCentury's weekly capital markets column. As Senior Editor for News, Eric managed BioCentury's news operations until 2004, when he joined the management team as Associate Publisher. He now is responsible for BioCentury's conferences, business services and marketing. Eric has an AB in Communication from Stanford University and completed graduate studies at the Mass Media Institute at Stanford, with an emphasis on broadcast journalism.

J. Robert (Bob) Powell, PhD - Scientific Advisor, Roche (China) Holding Ltd.

Dr. Bob Powell has served as Scientific Advisor for Roche (China) Holding Ltd Shanghai since 2009. He is working on applying model based development to Roche projects while consulting, teaching and learning in China and the Pacific Rim. Previously, he was Associate Director, Office of Translational Sciences, CDER, Co-Chair, FDA Scientific Computing Board from 2007 to 2009; Director, Pharmacometrics, Office of Clinical Pharmacology FDA from 2003 to 2007; Senior Vice President, Drug Development Consulting Services, Pharsight Corp from 2001 to 2002; Vice President, Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics and Metabolism, Parke Davis and Pfizer from 1996 to 2001; and Director, Clinical Pharmacology, Glaxo & Glaxo Wellcome from 1987 to 1996. These departments emphasized the application of pharmacokinetic/dynamic principles from discovery through regulatory approval in better defining dose-response, biomarker development, trial design, informatics and improved development and regulatory decisions. He has led various committees on drug development project governance and drug development efficiency. Bob received his pharmacy training at West Virginia University, clinical pharmacy training at Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, and NIH postdoctoral fellowship in pharmacokinetics at the University of California in San Francisco. He spent 10 years in academics (Arizona, North Carolina) and has published over 100 peer reviewed articles and book chapters.

Jianzhong (David) Shen, JD, PhD - Asia Regional IP Counsel, Eli Lilly

Dr. Jianzhong (David) Shen is the Asia Regional IP Counsel at Eli Lilly’s Legal Department. His primary responsibilities include enforcing Lilly’s IP rights in Asia, advising the company on IP issues in business transactions in the region, and supporting Lilly’s R&D efforts in China. Before joining Eli Lilly, Dr. Shen was a senior patent attorney at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals in the U.S. Dr. Shen received his JD degree from Temple University School of Law, his PhD degree in Chemistry from Cornell University and studied business management at the Wharton School of Business Administration. He is licensed to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and in the States of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Maria Song, PhD, MD - President, VPS-CRO Group  

Dr. Maria Song graduated from Peking Union Medical University in 1995, Dr. Song was honored with MD Before joining Venturepharm Dr Song had been undertaking important positions in a famous pharmaceutical company. Leading R&D of a series of national type 1, type2 and type4 new drugs, Dr Song has enormous experience in the whole process of pre-clinical pharmacy, pharmacology and clinical research. From 2000 Dr Song has been directing at Venturepharm Laboratory, which is the first publicly listed and China based R&D pharmaceutical company. Venturepharm has been maintaining its leading position on pharmaceutical and R&D sector in China. Leading by Dr. Song Venturepharm CRO Services has becoming the largest clinical CRO in China in terms of its therapeutic areas. Venturepharm CRO Services is the only international CRO in China, which is publicly listed abroad. It is also recognized as one of the most authority CRO in clinical research in traditional Chinese medicine. In year 2003, Venturepharm CRO Services is honored as one of the 10 best national foreign investor companies in China.

Howard Sui, PhD, MBA - Managing Director, Merck Serono China

Dr. Howard Sui, born in 1965, is the Managing Director of Merck Serono China. Dr. Sui holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of California at Los Angeles, a Master's degree in Business Administration and a PhD in Clinical Pharmacy from the University of Southern California. Before joining Merck Serono, Dr. Sui had worked in various executive marketing and sales positions in the pharmaceuticals industry, including roles in the U.S., China, and the Asia Pacific region.

Julian Thurston - Partner and Co-chair of Life Sciences Department, Morrison & Foerster LLP, UK

Julian Thurston is Co-Chair of Morrison & Foerster’s Life Sciences Group, based in the firm’s London office. Mr. Thurston is regarded as one of the top life sciences transactional attorneys in the UK. Nearly 30 years ago, Mr. Thurston was one of the first UK attorneys to focus on life sciences transactions, and he has developed a strong position in the market focusing on representation of biotechs in IP licensing, strategic partnering, outsourcing and other collaboration matters. He has been “top ranked” for life sciences since the leading legal directories (such as Chambers, Legal 500 and PLC) began covering the sector. Chambers UK 2009 reported that “Julian Thurston is viewed by many as ‘the spine of the [life sciences] group’ and ‘simply out of this world’. He is ‘exceptionally commercial and always clear in what he wants to achieve for his clients’”. From June 2005 to December 2008 Mr. Thurston was Managing Partner of the London office. He holds a MA from the University of Oxford and College of Law.

Breaux Walker - Managing Director, JMP Securities LLC

Breaux Walker is a Managing Director in JMP Securities' investment banking group focused on coverage of the China market. Prior to joining JMP, Breaux was a partner at America's Growth Capital, where he concentrated on the China market with specific emphasis on the Internet, software, communications and information security sectors. Previously, he founded and ran Daintree Partners, a technology-focused advisory firm serving U.S. and China clientele. Breaux has also held senior corporate development positions at Vytek Wireless, Mobilesys and USWeb, where he was a member of an M&A team that completed more than 50 transactions. Breaux formerly lived in Shanghai for five years, during which time he founded and served as a managing director of CBVCOM, an Internet engineering and software development company that served Chinese and multinational corporations. He began his finance career at Merrill Lynch, working in the firm's debt capital markets group. Breaux holds a BA from Wesleyan University.

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 PhD 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 MBA from Stanford University.

Ningling Wang, JD - Partner, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP, Shanghai Office

Ningling Wang’s practice involves patent prosecution, opinions, due diligence, client counseling, licensing, and patent litigation in the areas of chemicals, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, semiconductor materials, and nanotechnology. She has extensive experience working with multinational and Chinese companies, providing legal advice on IP portfolio management and due diligence. Ms. Wang speaks frequently in conferences and seminars in China and internationally on patent-related topics. She is the award winner of Mondaq’s January’s Contributor With Most Popular Article In United States for “Obviousness Developments in U.S. Patent Law,” 2010.

Richard Wang, PhD, MBA - Director, Strategic Alliance and Collaboration, AstraZeneca

Richard Wang, PhD, MBA, currently a Director, Strategic Alliance and Collaboration for Asia since 2007, and located in the AstraZeneca's new Innovation Center China in Shanghai. Richard’s main roles include: 1) responsible for the research portfolio management and operation of the ICC, including putting management and process in place to support center strategy, reviewing projects and deliverables for performance and sustainability, managing supporting functions, 2) leading Asia strategic alliance network for AZ oncology, which involves strategy and goal setting, management of the individual centers through steering committee with country managers, alignment to global alliance strategy, identification and assessment of potential alliance centers for translational science and early clinical trial collaborations, 3) liaising and coordinating with AZ global therapeutic areas and core functions for discovery collaboration and outsourcing needs in China, as well as assessing in-licensing opportunities. Prior to AZ, Richard worked at the Discovery organization of BMS and Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals for total of 14 years with increasing responsibilities, the latest as associate director and project manager to lead various discovery projects transition to development and lead early clinical development projects through IND and Phase I trials.

Xiaochuan Wang, PhD - Chairman and CEO, Sundia MediTech Co., Ltd.

Dr. Wang received her PhD degree from the University of Chicago in 1989, specialized in molecular structure design of new drugs. After her PhD training, she worked for 3 biotech companies in USA on R&D research and program management. She has 20 years experience in drug discovery and development for 14 different target, and successfully applied computer aided drug design, medicinal chemistry, compound library design and screening, and ADME analysis. She led teams of medicinal chemists, biologists, and pharmacologist to go through the whole process of drug discovery from 0 to clinical stages. Dr. Wang founded Sundia MediTech Company in Shanghai in 2004, and has led Sundia to grow into a leading Chinese CRO company, especially in new drug discovery CRO services. Sundia was selected by the top VC investors as one of the “Most Valuable Companies for Investment in China” in 2007 and 2008, and was honored in Deloitte High Tech High Growth Companies Top 50 in China, and Top 500 in Asia Pacific.

Huacheng Wei, PhD - President, Beijing Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd.

Dr. Huacheng Wei, holds position of Chairman of the Board at both Beijing Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. and Beijing Double-Crane Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. two of leading pharmaceutical manufacturers and Marketers in China, and Chairman of Medical & Pharmaceutical Commercial Association of China Federation of Industry & Commerce. And he received his PhD at China Huazhong University of Science & Technology (2005). Beijing Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. is engaged in pharmaceutical research and development, production, distribution, sales, marketing, state-owned large-scale comprehensive pharmaceutical enterprise. In 2008, Beijing Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. achieved sales revenues of RMB 23.986 billion, net profit of RMB 303 million. As one of China pharmaceutical industry leaders, Dr. Wei has been dedicated to the study and practice on “Theory of Longevity Enterprise”. In his book Alive Enterprise-The Study of Longevity Enterprise, Dr. Wei has presented the model of the long-life corporation including the model of the living corporation.

Jimmy Wei, PhD, MBA - Senior Vice President, Business Development and Corporate Planning, Hutchison MediPhama Ltd.

Dr. Jimmy Wei has over ten years of experience in the life sciences industry, focusing on R&D, investment and business development. Dr. Wei is Senior Vice President and head of business development and corporate planning at Hutchison MediPharma. Previously, Dr. Wei was the Deputy General Manager of Burrill China Group, where he led Burrill’s business activities related to the Greater China Area. Burrill is one of the largest life sciences venture capital funds, with close to $1billion under management. Prior to joining Burrill, Dr. Wei worked for WI Harper Group (WIH) and oversaw its global life sciences investment activities. Before WIH, Dr. Wei was a management consultant at McKinsey in its Shanghai office. Dr. Wei has also conducted R&D in several leading research organizations, including the Duke University Medical Center and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Dr. Wei has obtained a PhD in Biochemistry from North Carolina State University. He also holds an MBA from Darden Business School, University of Virginia.

Ian Wisenberg - Senior Vice President, Strategic Development, ChinaBio^® LLC

Xiaobing Wu, PhD - General Manager, Pfizer China

Dajun Yang, MD, PhD - Co-Founder, President & CEO, Ascentage Pharm

Dr. Dajun Yang is currently co-founder, president & CEO of Ascentage Pharma. He was previously Managing Director for biotechnology and healthcare at Morningside Venture Group and served as president & CEO of Stealth Peptides Inc. Dr. Yang co-founded Ascenta Therapeutics in 2003, where he was Senior VP of Research. Dr. Yang helped Ascenta complete $100 million in financing and established Ascenta’s R&D Center in Shanghai. Prior to Ascenta, Dr. Yang was an associate professor of internal medicine and member of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Michigan and associate professor of oncology and senior investigator of the Lombardi Cancer Center at the Georgetown University Medical Center starting since 1995.

Yanning Yi, MBA - Vice President, The Balloch Group

Yanning Yi joined TBG in 2007 and focuses on the firm's investment banking practices in the healthcare sector. Mr. Yi has worked with the healthcare team of CIBC World Markets originating IPO transactions in the US and has extensive experience on private equity deals for CRO, specialty pharma, drug discovery, and medical device companies. Prior to joining TBG, Mr. Yi worked at CIBC in Toronto where he focused on credit and investment portfolio risk management. Prior to that, Mr. Yi spent seven years with China's largest policy bank, China Development Bank, where he completed debt transactions totaling more than US$3 bn in the energy, mining, manufacturing, and infrastructure industries. Mr. Yi received his MBA from the University of Western Ontario, Canada and his BA in Economics from the China Institute of Finance and Banking.

Alfred W. Zaher, JD - Blank Rome LLP

Alfred W. Zaher, JD, is a partner at Blank Rome and a senior member of the biotechnology and life science practice at the firm. Mr. Zaher concentrates on patent licensing, counseling and litigation. He has been involved in major transactions and litigations related to technology transfer and procurement biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and software systems. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Zaher was a research engineer and scientist for several global technology companies in the United States. He is licensed to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and in the State of Pennsylvania.

Dan Zhang, MD, MPH - Chairman and CEO, Fountain Medical Development Ltd.

Dr. Dan Zhang has more than 10 year of drug development experience. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Fountain Medical Development, a full-service clinical CRO with primary operation in South East Asia and China. Previously, Dr. Zhang was the Head of Clinical Development and Global Safety Assessment at Sigma-Tau Research Inc, a US research arm of Sigma-Tau S.P.A., one of the largest Italy-based pharmaceutical firms with employees of 2300. Dr. Zhang managed the firm’s entire clinical development program in North American market, including oncology, cardiovascular, CNS, and metabolic development projects, in addition to his global role of drug safety handling. Prior to his life at Sigma-Tau, Dr. Dan Zhang was a vice president at the Quintiles Transnational Corp.-the largest contract research organization (CRO) in the world, responsible for the planning and implementation of business development strategies in Greater China Area. He was also a member of Executive Operating Committee of Quintiles Transnational Corp. Dr. Zhang was also the Chairman of the Board, Quintiles Medical Development (Shanghai) Company Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quintiles Transnational Corp. Before joining Quintiles, Dr. Zhang provided consulting services to many pharmaceutical, medical device and health insurance companies, such as Eli Lilly and Company, Pharmacia & Upjohn, Inc., Medtronic, Inc., and CIGNA Health Care, etc. His consulting services included clinical trial design, health economic studies, pricing and market-entry strategy. Over last ten years, Dr. Zhang established a strong working relationship with government and academic institutions in China. He was a member of the Overseas Expert Committee on New Drug R&D for the Ministry of Science and Technology of China. He was also a visiting professor at the Harbin Medical University of China. In addition, Dr. Zhang was a PhD advisor and consultant for then Shanghai Medical University in the field of Pharmacoeconomic study and clinical trials. He is currently a senior consultant to Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College. Dr. Zhang was an Executive Director of Sino-American Professional Pharmaceutical Society (SAPA). He was the President (2006~2007), Chinese Biopharmaceutical Association-USA (CBA). Dr. Zhang received his pre-med training from Beijing University and received his M.D. from Peking Union Medical College. He continued his study at the Harvard School of Public Health and received an MPH in health policy and management. Then he continued his training at the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained his master’s degree in healthcare management in 1998 and is working on his PhD dissertation in the field of health economics and finance. Dr. Zhang has published several papers in the fields of medical research and health economics, and is a frequent speaker at various health care-related conferences.

Ian Zhang - Head of Corporate Development, Asia Pacific, Life Technologies

Ian Zhang is the Head of Integration for Life Tech responsible for integrating the acquisition of Applied Biosystem by Invitrogen in the Asia Pacific region. He is also responsible for integrating all newly acquired business. He was the Head of Corporate Development for APAC responsible for growth strategy and mergers and acquisitions. He also served as the President for Dynal Biotech (Beijing) Ltd (a wholly owned subsidy of Invitrogen Corporation) running clinical diagnostic business in Asia Pacific and Japan. Ian has 20 years of experience in the biotech field. He is experienced in helping emerging biotech companies addressing their business. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University School of Medicine, had worked as a Sr. Scientist at Henkel Corporation, a summer associate at MPM Capital, and an Executive Director and Scientific Advisor at Meadow Partners, LLC. Mr. Zhang received his MBA at the University of Chicago and holds a PhD in biotechnology from Simon Fraser University.

Tony Zhang, PhD - Managing Director & Site Head, Lilly Global R&D, China

Dr. Tony Zhang received his BS degree in chemistry from Shandong University. With the help of a CGP Fellowship, he obtained his PhD from Purdue University. After a short stint as a research scientist at Reilly Inc (now Vertellus), he joined Eli Lilly in 1992 and had led multi-disciplined teams engaged in drug development. He is recognized as a premier molecule builder, and has patented, published, and lectured extensively in synthetic chemistry, pharmaceutical process development and R&D efficiencies. He is an advisory board member for Org Process R&D, and has received a number of awards, including the highest distinction within Lilly, the Chairman Ovation Award, for his contribution to R&D productivity. Tony has been a key initiator and implementer of the company’s R&D network in China. In June 2008, he assumed the current leadership role as site head for Eli Lilly Global R&D, China, with responsibilities including development of R&D strategies, establishment and management of research collaborations, and licensing activities for molecular assets and research technologies in the Greater China area. Tony is currently serving as the board chairman for the Bayhelix Group, an association of Chinese life science business leaders with more than 300 members across US and China.

Larry Zhu, PhD, MBA - Director, External Scientific Affairs & Business Development, Janssen Pharmaceutical R&D, Asia Pacific

Dr. Larry Zhu has more than 14 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, and has done 17 strategic transactions valued more than $3 billion. Prior to joining J&JPRD Asia Pacific, he was Senior Director of Business Development in Cerenis Therapeutics, a French based biopharmaceutical company. Previously, he was the head of Licensing & Development for Esperion Therapeutics, a division of Pfizer, and member of the Pfizer Global Cardiovascular Licensing Leadership Team until October 2005. Prior to that, he was the senior manager of business development for Esperion and participated in all partnering activities that led to the acquisition of Esperion by Pfizer.