NASDAQ-listed clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company BeiGene Ltd has appointed Dr Ji Li as its Executive Vice President, Global Head of Business Development.
BeiGene is a global research-based biotechnology company focused on molecularly targeted and immuno-oncology cancer therapeutics. With a team of over 215 scientists, clinicians and staff in China, the United States, Australia and Taiwan, BeiGene is advancing a pipeline consisting of novel oral small molecules and monoclonal antibodies for cancer.
"We are delighted to have Ji join BeiGene's senior leadership team," said John V Oyler, CEO of BeiGene. "Ji brings a wealth of experience and deep expertise as a senior business development executive to our organization that will help us execute our strategy through thoughtful collaborations."
Prior to joining BeiGene, Dr Li served as Vice President of Business Development and Licensing at Merck Research Laboratories, a subsidiary of Merck & Co. Inc., where he was responsible for business development activities of late-stage inbound and outbound opportunities. In addition, he led the team in executing external clinical collaborations in the immune-oncology space and Merck's R&D business development efforts in Japan and China.
Dr Li was a member of the Board of Directors of BeiGene, as a representative for Merck, up until BeiGene's IPO in February 2016. Prior to joining Merck, Dr Li was Executive Licensing Director, External R&D at Amgen where he served in various roles in research, business development and licensing for more than 15 years. Dr Li obtained his B.S. in Pharmacology from Shanghai Medical University and Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.
"I'm excited to join BeiGene," said Dr Li. "The company has made tremendous progress with its pipeline. I look forward to contributing to future success of the company via partnerships to further enhance value of our portfolio, and more importantly, to bring meaningful treatments to cancer patients globally."
