Our Team

With over 400 skilled employees including more than 30% with master or PhD degree, Chime Biologics leverages its comprehensive capabilities and internationally recognized expertise to provide one-stop integrated solutions to worldwide customers.

We have a strong management team with in-depth biotech industry knowledge and extensive experience, covering research and development of biological products, process development, technology transfer and scale-up, quality control, commercial manufacturing and international registration, etc. Drivers for our success are our reliable, compliant, flexible and fast-paced services, innovative talents, operational excellence. At Chime Biologics, we share a common goal of making cutting-edge biologics affordable and accessible to all patients globally and fulfill our commitment to human health.

Executive Team Board of Directors

Dr. Jimmy (Jianzhong) Wei

President

Dr. Jimmy (Jianzhong) Wei, President of Chime Biologics, taking full responsibility of business development, strategy, human resources, investment and financing business, manufacturing and quality.

Dr. Wei, President of Chime Biologics, is a healthcare and life sciences executive with over two decades of global experience. Prior to joining Chime Biologics, Dr. Wei has led the incubation and investments activities into multiple well-known biotech companies, including Zai Lab, I-Mab, XW Labs, CMAB and JHL Biotech.

Dr. Wei was a founding partner of Pivotal Capital and I-Bridge Capital, and a partner of KPCB China Fund. Before joining KPCB, Dr. Wei was Senior Vice President and Head of Business Development at Hutchison Medipharma, where he was responsible for establishing global partnerships with several multinational pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Lilly etc.

Dr. Wei graduated from North Carolina State University with PhD in biochemistry. He also holds an MBA with honors from the Darden Business School, University of Virginia, and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Wuhan University.

Dr. Zack (Zirong) Zheng

Chief Technology Officer
Senior Vice President, R&D

Dr. Zack (Zirong) Zheng, CTO and SVP, R&D of Chime Biologics, taking full responsibility for biologics process development, technology transfer and scale-up, protein analytical and formulation development, and also serves as the responsible person of Shanghai Innovation Center.

Dr. Zheng has 25 years of broad experience in biotech industry to develop therapeutic proteins, antibody drugs and vaccines in USA and China. His expertise spans from process development, technology transfer to cGMP production. He is a CMC leader with experience to develop both biosimilar and innovator drugs, and has brought multiple biologic products to market.

Previously Dr. Zheng is the co-founder and VP of DZM Biotech and VP of Jecho Biopharma. Before returning back to China 10 years ago, he held several technical and management positions as principal scientist and project manager in MedImmune, Wyeth, Pfizer with increased responsibilities.

Dr. Zheng received his bachelor degree in chemistry from Beijing Normal University, Ph.D. in chemistry from Nankai University, and did his postdoctoral training in Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Denmark and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, USA.

Matthew (Zhigang) Luo

Senior Vice President, Quality

Matthew (Zhigang) Luo is Senior Vice President of Chime Biologics, taking full responsibility of quality management (QA and Validation, QC).

Mr. Luo gained more than 30 years of quality operation and management experience in the pharmaceutical / biotechnology industry.  He has comprehensive knowledge and experience in handling daily quality issues and systematically developing quality management tools and procedures, especially in setting up the phase appropriate GMP systems. He successfully led the company through the regulatory pre-approval inspection (PAI) for commercial drug productions. Mr. Luo is an accomplished quality executive that skilled in the development, implementation and execution of quality systems.

Before joining Chime Biologics, Mr. Luo worked for Eli Lilly (USA), Amgen (USA), WuXi Biologics, Livzonmab, Mabplex and other well-known international and domestic biopharmaceutical companies and held various important positions in quality management.

Mr. Luo received a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Nanjing University in 1982, a master’s degree in Chemistry from University of Louisville in 1995 and an MBA from Kelley School of Business from Indiana University in 2004.

Jeffrey (Jiakuan) Chen

Senior Vice President, Operation

Jeffrey (Jiakuan) Chen is Senior Vice President of Chime Biologics, taking full responsibility of the company’s human resources strategy and planning, administrative operations, government affairs, environmental health and safety, legal affairs, supply chain management, IT and lean excellence work. He also participates in the company’s investment and financing business and business development.

Mr. Chen has over 20 years’ experience in biomedical research, marketing, business, project management, capital raising, corporate senior management and operations. Before joining Chime Biologics, he served as General Manager, Senior Vice President and Marketing Director of Wuhan Optics Valley New Drug Incubation Public Service Platform Co., LTD., and also worked in Vital Pharmaceutical as Marketing Manager, R&D supervisor and other management positions. He is familiar with company operation and capital operation, and has rich experience in team building and business cooperation negotiation.

Mr. Chen obtained a Master degree in Microbiology and Biochemistry from Wuhan University.

Thomas Matthew Risko

Vice President of Manufacturing

Thomas Matthew Risko, Vice President of Manufacturing, is fully responsible for the company’s CMC production and management, as well as engineering and expansion projects.

Thomas has over 35 years of manufacturing experience, including 25 years in biotechnology industry, in the production of therapeutic proteins, antibodies, and vaccines in the United States.  He is a manufacturing leader with experience in the production of several commercial blockbuster biologics and numerous clinical therapeutics. Previously Thomas held leadership, technical and commercial positions in Amgen Rhode Island, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Bio-Rad Laboratories.

Thomas received his bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from the State University of New York at Albany.

Berkan Ünal

Business Development of Europe

Berkan takes charge of Buiness Development of Europe.

Berkan brings an impressive and diverse resume, including over 10 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and solid connections to global leaders in the bio-pharmaceutical sector.

Before joining Chime Biologics he worked for GenScript Biotech and ProBioGen AG. Both are global leading CDMOs and Berkan has been involved in the processes which provides end-to-end solutions from discovery to commercialization of Biologics. His experience is a welcomed addition to our team and will jump start Chime Biologics Europe initiatives.

Berkan studied bioprocess engineering and medical biotechnology at the Berlin Technical University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg University of Technology and the Imperial College London.

Walter Wei-Tao Tian

Vice President, Business Development of Americas

Mr. Walter Wei-Tao Tian, VP, Business Development Americas of Chime Biologics, taking full responsibility for expanding Chime CDMO services into North and South Americas, the biggest market for large molecule therapeutics discovery and development.

Walter Tian is an industry veteran with well over 30 years of track record in life science and biopharmaceutical CRDMO industries. In his earlier career he worked in sales and marketing capacity for some well known US and international life science companies including PerkimElmer, Qiagen and OriGene. Over the last 12 years, he held key corporate marketing and business development positions in both CRO companies (DNA2.0/Atum, LakePharma) and CDMO companies (LakePharma and Curia). His impressive network in drug research and development in North America is critical to Chime’s global mission.

Walter received his bachelor degree in medicine at Xi’an Medical School and MS degree in immunology at Beijing Medical University. He also has an MBA certificate from Northeastern University in Boston, MA.

James (Zuie-Chin) Huang

Executive Chairman

James (Zuie-Chin) Huang is the Executive Chairman of Chime Biologics, he also is Founding Managing Partner of Panacea Healthcare Venture Capital (RMB 870m Fund & USD180.5m Fund). He has devoted his passion, diligence, intelligence and loyalty into life science and investment industry over 30 years. He is a successful entrepreneur investor and an opinion leader in Venture Capital healthcare sector in China. Panacea Venture is focusing on investments in innovative and transformative early and growth stage healthcare and life sciences companies worldwide. Since its inception in 2018, Panacea has three portfolios listed and five more submitted IPO application. Panacea is currently raising its USD Fund II with a target fund size of USD 250 million.

Mr. Huang is also Managing Partner of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers China. He joined the firm in 2011 and focuses on the firm’s life sciences practice. His main investment interests are innovation around China’s growing healthcare markets and helping entrepreneurs build companies. Mr. Huang has made more than 15 investments in China since 2007.

Prior to that, Mr. Huang was a Managing Partner at Vivo Ventures, a Venture Capital firm specializing in life sciences investments. While at Vivo, Mr. Huang led numerous investments in China. Before joining Vivo in 2007, Mr. Huang was President of Anesiva, a biopharmaceutical company focused on pain-management treatments. During his 20-year career in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, he also held senior roles in business development, sales, marketing and R&D with Tularik Inc. (acquired by Amgen), GlaxoSmithKline LLC, Bristol-Meyers Squibb and ALZA Corp. (acquired by Johnson & Johnson).

Mr. Huang is Chairman of Board at Kindstar Global, Eden Biologics and XW Laboratory and Director at GenScript, ChiralQuest, Zenesis, CVie Therapeutics, CASI and Omni Pharmaceuticals.

Mr. Huang received an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Benny (Tinlung) Chong

Board Director

Benny (Tinlung) Chong has over 25 years of experience in the finance and investing industries. He has been the Chairman of VMS Group since 2006, primarily responsible for corporate planning / strategy and business development.

VMS Group of Companies is a leading multi-strategies financial services group providing individual, corporate and institutional investors with investment solutions as well as securities brokerage and corporate finance advisory services. The Group’s main operating subsidiaries, VMS Securities Ltd and VMS Asset Management Ltd, are licensed by the Securities and Futures Commission to conduct respectively (i) dealing in securities and advising on corporate finance, and (ii) advising on securities and asset management regulated activities. VMS makes and advises on investments in both private and listed equities, special and distress situations, takeovers, debts and loans.

Mr. Chong is also the Executive Chairman and CEO of Auto Italia Holdings Ltd (a company listed on the Main Board (stock code: 00720)) since 2013.

Mr. Chong has been appointed as an Executive Director, the Chairman of the Board, the Chairman of the Investment Committee and member of each of Nomination Committee and the Remuneration Committee of Newton Resources Ltd (a company listed on the Main Board (stock code: 01231)) since 2018.

Mr. Chong holds a Bachelor Degree of Commerce from the University of Toronto, Canada and a Master Degree of Science in Investment Management from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong. He obtained the qualification as a Chartered Financial Analyst from the Association for Investment Management and Research (now known as the CFA Institute) in 1997.

Andrew (Siuwai) Ng

Board Director

Andrew (Siuwai) Ng has been the Head of Healthcare at VMS Group with over 13 years of healthcare industry experience spanning across management consulting, investment banking, equity research and direct investment in Greater China and the United States. He is also an Investment Partner of Panacea Venture.

Mr. Ng established the healthcare investment practice of VMS Group in 2017 and has completed multiple growth-stage investments and private equity investments across the verticals of therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, and CXOs. He currently sits on the board of multiple healthcare companies. Prior to joining VMS Group, Mr. Ng had been the Lead Analyst for the China Healthcare Equity Research at Barclays Capital.

Mr. Ng obtained a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Engineering degree from Cornell University and an MBA degree from INSEAD.

Marc Funk

Board Director

Marc Funk brings more than 20 years of leadership and industry experience in the global CDMO space. As the former CEO of Lonza Group, Mr. Funk has led the transformation and global development of Lonza Group into the world’s largest CDMO in the biotech industry. Prior to becoming the CEO of Lonza Group, Mr. Funk has been the COO and President for Lonza Pharma & Biotech.

Since 2014 Mr. Funk has transformed Lonza Pharma & Biotech by consolidating its operations all over the world and bringing its quality and operational standard to a world class level. Under his leadership Lonza Group has enjoyed seven consecutive years of rapid business growth. As a world renowned business leader, Mr. Funk has accumulated vast industry experience and deep business connections across the whole healthcare sector in Europe, North America and Far East.

Mr. Funk obtained a Master of Law and Diplomacy from Tuft University in USA and a Master of Law from University of Geneva in Switzerland.