Shanghai, China, July 17th, 2023 - Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc. (2696.HK) announced that Mr. Wenjie Zhang has resigned as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and will maintain his role as Chairman and Executive Director due to work focus adjustment. The Board of Directors has unanimously elected Mr. Jason Zhu, the current President, and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), to succeed as CEO in charge of the company's management, and nominated Mr. Zhu as Executive Director, which will be effective upon the approval at the subsequent shareholders' meeting.
Mr. Zhang joined in March 2019 to build the commercial operation team. Under the leadership of him and his management team, the company has evolved from a biotech to a biopharma firm with several key milestones. It successfully launched five products in China and one in overseas markets, benefiting over 440,000 patients worldwide. In the first half of 2023, with further business iterations, Henlius achieved profitability for the first time in six months, meaning it has successfully entered a positive cycle of research and development, manufacturing, and commercialisation, also bringing strong confidence into driving the development of the Chinese biopharmaceutical industry.
Mr. Wenjie Zhang, Chairman, and Executive Director of Henlius, stated, "Henlius has successfully grown into an international biopharmaceutical company with over 3,000 employees, establishing a comprehensively integrated biopharmaceutical platform across research and development, manufacturing, and commercialisation. On behalf of Henlius, I would like to express my gratitude for the trust of shareholders, the board of directors' support, and the team's contributions and efforts. In recent years, Henlius has continued improving its team by attracting outstanding management talents, including Mr. Jason Zhu, who has over 20 years of dedicated experience in the healthcare industry. Jason has acquired extensive industry knowledge and a forward-thinking global perspective, also having a deep understanding of innovation research and development, international strategy, and global operations management. Over the past two years, he has made significant contributions to increasing the value of our product pipeline and expanding our global market presence. I am delighted that Jason takes on the role of CEO. We will continue to focus on addressing unmet clinical needs and provide more affordable and high-quality products for patients worldwide."
Mr. Jason Zhu, CEO, President, and CFO of Henlius said, "I am truly honored to succeed as the CEO of Henlius, and I appreciate the confidence that both Wenjie and the Board of Directors have in me. Under the remarkable leadership of Wenjie, Henlius has achieved great success in launching high-quality products to the global market, building a strong base for the company's long-term development. In the future, we will continue to prioritise high-quality development and lean operations, further optimise the integrated platform of research and development, manufacturing, and commercialisation, actively enhance our innovation capabilities and market competitiveness, and deepen product innovation, market development, and international partnerships to create long-term value."