HUTCHMED (China) Limited (Nasdaq/LON:HCM; HKEX:13) has announced that Dr Weiguo Su, an Executive Director of the Company, will take a leave of absence from his duties as Chief Executive Officer due to health reasons. In light of this, the Board of Directors has appointed Mr Johnny Cheng, an Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, as Acting Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect, in addition to his role as Chief Financial Officer.
Dr Dan Eldar, Chairman and Non-executive Director, said, “The Board expresses its full support for Dr Su and wishes him a speedy recovery. We thank Mr Cheng for his agreement to assume responsibility for overseeing the day-to-day operations and management of the Company during this interim period. The board has full confidence in Mr. Cheng’s capabilities to lead the Company. The Board is confident that all research, development and commercial initiatives will remain on track.”
Dr Weiguo Su, Executive Director, said, “This has been a very difficult decision to make, but at this time my focus must be on my health. I am certain that the Board, Mr Cheng and everyone at HUTCHMED will ensure the continued execution of our strategy and that the scientific team will continue its work on the determined drug research and discovery pipeline as planned. I would like to thank everyone for their support and look forward to being able to return to work as soon as possible.”
Mr Johnny Cheng, Acting Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, said, “Over the last 20 years under Dr Su’s leadership and the contribution of the entire team, HUTCHMED has built a portfolio of drugs and a strategy to successfully build new platforms and capabilities to deliver additional value. Together with our management team we shall endeavor to ensure on-track delivery. My best wishes to Dr Su for a speedy recovery.”