Dr. Gengchen Han
Dr. Gengchen Han is the Chairman of Origin Agritech. He also served, in the past, as the President and the Chief Executive of Origin at various times. Dr. Han is also the Executive Chairman of Beijing Origin and its affiliated companies, a position that he has held since founding the business in 1997. Dr. Han has more than 20 years of experience in research and development of hybrid seed products, particularly corn seed. From 1982 until 1984, Dr. Han was a lecturer at the Henan Agriculture University. From 1984 to 1987, Dr. Han received his Ph.D. degree in Plant Breeding and Cytogenics from Iowa State University. From 1989 until 1990 he worked for the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, or CIMMYT, in Mexico. He worked for Pioneer Hi-bred International from 1990 to 1996; his positions there included Regional Technical Coordinator for Asia/Pacific and Regional Supervisor for China Business.
Mr. Weibin Yan
Mr. Yan brings a wealth of experience and leadership to Origin Agritech, with a distinguished career in the agricultural and industrial sectors. He is currently the Vice-Chairman of the Hunan Provincial Federation of Industry and Commerce. Mr. Yan was one of the principal founders of Ausnutria Dairy Corporation Ltd. (“Ausnutria“), a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, where he served as Chairman from its establishment until September 2023. Under his leadership, Ausnutria became a leading global player in the dairy industry. Mr. Yan also served as a director of Yuan Longping High-tech Agriculture Co., Ltd. (“Longping High-tech”), listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, from 2004 to January 2016. At Longping High-tech, he held various executive roles, including Chief Executive Officer from 2004 to April 2010 and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors from 2010 to January 2016. In addition, Mr. Yan has a history with Origin Agritech, having served as an independent director of the Company from 2017 to 2018.
Mr. Li Yang
Mr. Li brings over 20 years of extensive investment and corporate management experience. Mr. Li’s notable career includes holding directorships in several prominent companies listed on Hong Kong stock exchanges, including Executive Director and Former Chairman of Virtual Mind Holding Company Limited, Executive Director of Asia Television Holdings Limited and Vice Chairman of Leyou Technologies Holdings Limited and Vice Chairman of China Best Group Holdings Limited. His expertise spans multiple industries, including Natural Resources; Agriculture and Technology.
Mr. Cheng Chi Kin (Patrick Cheng)
Patrick Cheng’s distinguished career includes key leadership positions at several publicly listed companies in Hong Kong. His expertise spans multiple industries, including natural resources, property investment, manufacturing, and banking. Patrick’s most recent roles include Independent Non-Executive Director at Asiasec Properties Limited, Non-Executive Director and former Chairman at Affluent Partners Holdings Limited, Chairman of DeTai Energy Group Limited, and CEO & Executive Director at China Uptown Group Company Limited.
Dr. Michael W. Trimble
Dr. Michael W. Trimble has been a director at Origin since May 2006. Dr. Trimble is the founder of Trimble Genetics International LLC, or Trimble Genetics, and has been the President of Trimble Genetics since 2001. Trimble Genetics is a plant genetics research company that has expanded business and research relationships to include activities in North America, South America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Dr. Trimble is a leader in plant genetics research with over thirty years of experience in crop breeding and the agricultural seed industry. Dr. Trimble is an inventor of numerous patents in the field of plant genetics. Dr. Trimble graduated with a Ph.D. degree from the University of Minnesota and also completed graduate programs at Purdue University and Iowa State University.
Dr. Shaojiang Chen
Dr. Shaojiang Chen, joined the Board of Directors of Origin Agritech Limited as an independent board member, effective November 1, 2022. Dr. Chen is currently a professor at the China Agricultural University, Agronomy College, where he has been teaching since 2000. During 2017 to 2022, Dr. Chen also served as the Director at the Maize Breeding Engineering Center of the MOE, and has served as the Vice Director at the National Maize Improvement Center of China. Dr. Chen is widely published on many topics relating to fertilization and corn plant genetics. He also worked on a Sino-German Program at the University of Hohenheim, Germany from 2003 to 2013. Dr. Chen has a BA from Henan Agricultural University in Agronomy, a MSc in Crop Genetics and Breeding from Henan Agricultural University, and a PhD in Crop Genetics and Breeding, from Northeast Agricultural University.
Ms. Fei Wang
Ms. Fei Wang became a director of Origin in February 2019. Ms. Wang currently serves as Global Finance Director of UTStarcom Holdings Corp. (“UTStarcom”), a provider of broadband equipment and solutions, which is listed on NASDAQ. Ms. Wang has served in various financial functions, including Investor Relation Director, since 2011. Prior to UTStarcom, Ms. Wang has had more than seven years financial experience in several publicly listed multinational companies based in the United States. Ms. Wang received her master’s degree in Financial Accountancy from the Rutgers University and her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from City University of New York. Ms. Wang is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Dr. Min Lin
Dr. Min Lin is currently a professor at the Biotechnology Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) located in Beijing, China. From 2005 to 2019, Dr. Lin served as the director of the Biotechnology Research Institute of CAAS. Dr. Lin also served as Executive Vice President for the Chinese Society of Agri-Biotechnology and Vice President for Chinese Society of Biotechnology. Dr. Lin has been a visiting scientist at the Institut Pasteur in France and at the Research Institute for Plant Protection (IPO-DLO) in the Netherlands. Dr. Lin received his Ph.D. and Master’s Degree from CAAS and his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from University of Sichuan.