Origin Agritech Limited announced the appointment of Dr. Jian Zhang as an independent member of its Board of Directors, effective March 20, 2026. Dr. Zhang, aged 62, currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of ChinaAg JiaNuo Seed Science and Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd. He previously served as Chief Technology Officer of Syngenta Group China Seed Business and as Director of the National Center of Technology Innovation for Maize.
As General Manager of Huazhi Rice Biotechnology Co. Ltd., he constructed a world-class crop molecular breeding R&D platform in China. Over a 20-year career spanning the world's dominant multinational seed companies, Dr. Zhang served as R&D Manager at DuPont Pioneer (now Corteva Agriscience), contributing to the development of the Herculex?
transgenic insect-resistant maize product series as well as Senior Manager of GMO Regulatory and Biotechnology Affairs for China and Asia-Pacific region; and as Global Head of Quality Control for biotech crops at BASF Plant Science. He holds a Ph.D. in Plant Genetics Manipulation from the University of Nottingham (UK), an M.B.A. from the University of Iowa, and a Bachelor's degree in Crop Genetics and Breeding from China Agricultural University. Dr. Changqing Mao resigned from his position as independent director, effective March 12, 2026, due to new professional commitments.
