Corporate Governance

Dr. Gengchen Han is the Chairman of the Board of Origin and was the Chief Executive Officer of Origin from December 3, 2018 to August 20, 2024. He also served, in the past, as the President and the Chief Executive Officer of Origin at various times. Dr. Han was also the Executive Chairman of Beijing Origin and its affiliated companies, a position that he held since founding the business in 1997 until August 2024. Dr. Han was the Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Executive Officer of the Company from its inception in 1997 until January 1, 2009 and from August 1, 2011 to April 25, 2016. Dr. Han has more than 40 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 (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.

Dr. Shaojiang Chen became an independent director of Origin in November 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.

Dr. Jian Zhang, 62, joined the Board of Directors of Origin Agritech Limited as an independent board member, effective March 20, 2026. Dr. Jian Zhang is a renowned expert in global crop biotech R&D. He is currently the CEO of ChinaAg JiaNuo Seed Science and Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., and was the Chief Technology Officer of Syngenta Group China Seed Business and the Director of the National Center of Technology Innovation for Maize. Dr. Zhang was formerly the General Manager of Huazhi Rice Biotechnology Co., Ltd., where he established a world-class crop molecular breeding R&D platform. Dr. Zhang has worked for global multinational seed companies (DuPont Pioneer, Syngenta, and BASF) for 20 years, including as R&D Manager at DuPont Pioneer (merged into Corteva) participating in the development of the Herculex™ series of transgenic insect-resistant maize products; Senior Manager of GMO regulatory and biotechnology affairs for China and Asia; and Global Head of Quality Control at BASF Plant Science for biotech crops. He possesses extensive experience in crop biotechnology R&D, regulatory safety assessment, and biotech compliance and stewardship. Dr. Jian Zhang holds a PhD in Plant Genetics Manipulation from the University of Nottingham, UK, an M.B.A. from the University of Iowa, USA, and a Bachelor's degree in Crop Genetics and Breeding from China Agricultural University.

Mr. Siu Laam Hau joined the Board of Directors of Origin as an independent board member, effective September 2025. Mr. Hau is currently an executive director of Asian Capital Limited. Mr. Hau has over 15 years of experience in corporate finance, corporate advisory services, and auditing. Mr. Hau obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Accountancy and a minor in Corporate Finance from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in December 2006, and is a member of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Mr. Weibin Yan joined Origin in August 2024 and serves as a Director and the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Mr. Yan has had 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. (a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange), where he served as Chairman from its establishment until September 2023. Mr. Yan also served as a director of Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture Co., Ltd. (listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange) from 2004 to January 2016, holding executive roles including Chief Executive Officer (2004 to April 2010) and Vice Chairman of the Board (2010 to January 2016). In addition, Mr. Yan previously served as an independent director of the Company from 2017 to 2018.

Dr. Zheng James Chen, 60, was appointed the Chief Financial Officer of the Company. Dr. Chen previously served as the Company's Chief Financial Officer from December 2018 to April 2020, as Chief Executive Officer from February 2018 to December 2018, and as Chief Financial Officer from January 2012 to January 2016. He also served as a director of Origin from August 2017 to April 2020. Dr. Chen's prior experience included serving as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of China Finance Online (formerly Nasdaq-listed: JRJC) and as CFO of Yunji Inc (Nasdaq: YJ). Before joining Origin in 2012, he was an Investment Manager at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and an senior analyst at Morgan Joseph and BB&T Capital Markets. Earlier in his career, Dr. Chen served as a Product Manager at Celanese and as a License Product Technology Manager at Univation Technologies, a joint venture between ExxonMobil and Dow Chemical. Dr. Chen holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Connecticut and an M.B.A. from New York University.