Origin Agritech adds Chief Technology Officer to leadership team

 Origin Agritech Ltd.  announced today Dr. Jihong Liang will join the organization as new chief technology officer effective Aug. 3, 2016. He will additionally serve as vice president and general manager of the State Harvest Company, a subsidiary of Origin Agritech Ltd. Liang will bring exceptional scientific knowledge of plant breeding and biotechnology as well as global seed leadership experience to the Origin team.

In this role, Liang will lead and direct all aspects of global biotechnology and plant genetic research within Origin. He will coordinate and accelerate external collaborations with private, academic and governmental partners to further develop leading-edge technologies, traits and seed products.

"I am very pleased to have such a strong industry leader and respected scientist join our team and be part of the new direction that Origin Agritech is developing," said Origin CEO Dr. Bill Niebur. "Liang's vision, technical depth and international science and management experience is unique in the industry. His positive impact on the company will be immediate."

Liang most recently served as the head of Syngenta's global rice seed research and development. He has nearly 25 years of global industry experience, leading research and development at companies such as Syngenta, Monsanto and the Monsanto-Cargill joint venture Renessen. He has held leadership positions in multiple disciplines, including technology scouting, global crop strategy planning, market research and business development in China, Singapore and the United States. Liang's scientific work has resulted in 10 patents globally and numerous research articles published in world-class scientific journals.

"I am thrilled to join Origin Agritech and become part of the new leadership team," Liang said. "Origin is a leader and innovator in the Chinese seed industry. I am excited to bring new field and laboratory innovations to the global market. I am confident that through the strong support from the leadership team, the creativity and hard work of the research and development team, that we will develop cutting-edge technology and industry leading products to meet the growing needs of the world."

Liang earned his Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology from China Agricultural University, doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, post-doctoral fellowship in molecular biology from the University of Chicago and Master of Business Administration from Keller Graduate School of Management in St. Louis.

"This is an exciting time for Origin Agritech," said Dr. Gengchen Han, Chairman of the Board for Origin Agritech Ltd. "The addition of Dr. Liang is an important step in building Origin's global management team. I am confident the experience and expertise he brings to this role will strengthen our technology leadership position in China and further Origin's reputation as a global biotechnology resource.