Speaker

Professor Philip Chiu is Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Shun Hing Education and Charity Fund Professor of Robotic Surgery, Director of Multi-Scale Medical Robotics Center, and Director of Endoscopy Center, Institute of Digestive Disease of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is also a Steering Committee member of Health and Medical Innovation Development of the Health Bureau of the HKSAR Government.

Professor Chiu is a pioneer in minimally invasive procedures, having performed Hong Kong’s first endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for the treatment of early gastrointestinal cancers in 2004, as well as the world’s first robotic gastric ESD and colorectal ESD in 2011 and 2020 respectively. His research interests include esophageal cancer management, minimally invasive and robotic esophagectomy, novel endoscopic technologies for diagnosis of early GI cancers, endoscopic surgery, as well as robotics for endoluminal surgery. Professor Chiu has published nearly 400 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 6 book chapters. Among these, his seminal world’s first robotic colorectal ESD clinical study earned Endoscopy’s Most Innovative Paper Award (2024). Other accolades include the State Scientific Technology and Progress Award from the People’s Republic of China (2007), 2^nd class award in Technological Advancement, Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (2011), Spirit of Hong Kong Award on Innovation (2020), two Gold Medals with Congratulations of Jury at the International Exhibitions of Inventions of Geneva (2019, 2023), Honorary Member of the European Association of Endoscopic Surgery (2023) and Foreign Member of the Academia Europaea (2025).

George Li , Founder and Managing Partner of Proxima Investment, possesses nearly 20 years of experience in management, consulting, entrepreneurship, and investment within the healthcare sector. He serves as a committee member of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Committee under the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, is recognized as an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Talent by the Ministry of Science and Technology, and acts as a judge for the Chunhui Cup Entrepreneurship Competition under the Ministry of Education.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Zhejiang University and an MBA from Hult International Business School. Previously, he worked at Huawei Technologies’ R&D Testing Department and co-founded BioHermes, a leading company in the diagnostic reagents niche in China. In 2008, he established BioBridge International, providing comprehensive services to healthcare innovation companies—from startup guidance and production system development to regulatory filing support.

Managing Director and Head of Healthcare, VMS Group; Investment Partner, Panacea Venture

Andrew Ng is a Managing Director and Head of Healthcare of VMS Group and an Investment Partner of Panacea Venture. He has over 13 years of experience in the healthcare industry across Asia and the US. Andrew has established the healthcare practice of VMS Group in 2017 and led multiple growth-stage investments for VMS across the therapeutics, diagnostics, medical device and CRO/CDMO verticals. He has also served as an Investment Partner of Panacea Venture, a global healthcare venture capital firm, since 2021.

Prior to that, Andrew was responsible for the China Healthcare Equity Research at Barclays Capital based in Hong Kong. Before that, he was an investment banker covering healthcare clients across the Asia Pacific region at Barclays Capital with a focus in healthcare cross-border M&A. Andrew started his career as a management consultant at ZS Associate in the United States advising global pharma on sales & marketing strategy and operations.

Andrew has been on the board of multiple companies that carry out product development, manufacturing and sales in the biotechnology, medical equipment and CXO industries. These companies include New Horizon Health, Chime Biologics, Jade Biomedical, SyMap Medical, Yizun Biomedicine and Profusa.

Andrew received an MBA from INSEAD, a M.Eng. degree and a BS degree in Operations Research & Engineering from Cornell University.

Co-founder, Silver Dart Capital Partner (Healthcare Investments), Value Partners Group

Dr. Chuen Yan Leung is currently Partner (Healthcare Investments) at Value Partners Group, one of Asia’s largest independent asset management firms offering world-class investment services and products for institutional and individual clients globally. He has 14 years of experience in the healthcare ecosystem from R&D, biotechnology start-ups, venture capital, and private equity. Previously Dr. Leung was a co-founder of Silver Dart Capital, a boutique healthcare private equity firm and a private equity vice president at EQT Group, a Swedish global investment organization with EUR 210bn assets under management as of 2023. He has previously held roles such as Vice President at Aeneas Capital and Lead Scientist at Procella Therapeutics. Dr. Leung is currently the Vice President of the Hong Kong Biotechnology Organization, and a member of the Shanghai Pudong Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. Dr. Leung received his PhD in Stem Cell Biology from the University of Cambridge, and BSc in Biochemistry from Imperial College London.

Founder & CEO, Ryoden Medical Holdings & Incando Therapeutics Group

Dr Hu is a translational biomedical engineer with a strong background in business development. His passion is in building a vibrant biotech ecosystem through bridging stakeholders across relevant sectors. He heads Ryoden Medical where he oversees healthcare and biotech venture investments for his family office. He co-founded Incando Therapeutics and Cere Ventures to bring brain- and healthy aging-related developments to the market. Dr Hu currently serves as Chair of Biomedical Engineering Departmental Advisory Council and Adjunct Professor in Biomedical Sciences at the City University of Hong Kong, as well as board member or steering committee member to several charities, think-tanks, universities and government committees in Hong Kong, such as the Hong Kong Biotechnology Organization, the Asian Fund for Cancer Research Limited, the Hong Kong Professionals and Senior Executives Association, the Hong Kong Trade & Development Council, and the Hong Kong Innovation & Technology Commission. Dr Hu received his PhD in Tissue Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, BS in Bioengineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and has been awarded the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Greater Bay Area Most Talented Young Entrepreneur Award with the Best Technology Innovation Distinction in 2023.

Managing Director, CR CP Life Science Fund

Mr. Liu is now the Managing Director of the CR CP Life Science Fund, whose shareholders, CR Group and CP Group are on the Fortune Global 500 List. Before that, Mr. Liu was the Business Director of the Strategic Management Department at CR Group, responsible for strategic research and project investment in life science and technology; and as Senior Director of China Resources Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. (HK: 03320), responsible for business development and international cooperation. He has also served as the Senior Director of China Resources Pharmaceutical Business Group, the General Manager of China Resources Pharmaceutical Airport (Beijing) International Trading Co., Ltd., the Deputy General Manager of Beijing Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and the COO of Zhoulin Bio-spectrum Technology Co., Ltd. Prior to 2004, Mr. Liu was a pharmacy manager at CVS Group in the United States, and worked at the New York Healthcare Group as a clinical pharmacist.

Dr. Hang Lu is the founder and CEO of NextTranslate Biopharmaceutical Co.，a clinical stage company focusing on the development and manufacture of mRNA- and advanced technology-based preventive and therapeutics products. 

Dr. Lu has over 25 years of experience in biological product development in pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, including Merck Co. and Emergent BioSolutions (EBSI), a NYSE-listed global life sciences company that seeks to protect and enhance life by providing specialty products including vaccines and therapeutics for civilian and military populations. Dr. Lu held roles of increasing responsibilities at EBSI over the last 20+ years, including director of CDMO Analytical Development or PAD, Principal Scientist of R&D or Nonclinical Development. He was responsible for setting up the Immunotoxicology Lab and GxP Lab and was the core team member of more than ten traditional and new generation vaccines and biologics from the discovery to nonclinical and CMC development over the product life-cycle, from IND to BLA submissions leading to regulatory approvals in USA.

Dr. Lu obtained his medical degree at Zhejiang University and practiced as a pediatric hematologist，and then completed his post-doctoral research training at the University of British Columbia with a sponsorship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research（CIHR）.

Dr. Lu is an advisory committee member of Vaccine Research Council，China Association for Vaccines and was the Presidents of the Chinese Biopharmaceutical Association (CBA，2021-2022) and CBA-China (2025-2027).

Pengtao Liu is a biologist and geneticist. He earned a BS degree from Henan Normal University and an MPhil from the Institute of Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Pentao pursued his studies in human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine under the guidance of Professor James Lupski, where he obtained his Ph.D. supervised by Professor Allan Bradley. Following a postdoctoral training at the National Cancer Institute in the USA with Professor Neal Copeland and Nancy Jenkins, Pentao joined the faculty of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, U.K. He currently serves as a professor at the University of Hong Kong and leads InnoHK Centre for Translational Stem Cell Biology, focusing on advancing stem cell technologies, producing clinically relevant cell products, and screening drug candidates.

Pentao’s group have developed a highly efficient six-factor method for rapidly reprogramming somatic cells into iPSCs, discovered a novel type of cancer cell-killing cell, and successfully derived expanded potential stem cells from preimplantation embryos of various mammalian species. These unique stem cells exhibit broader developmental potential compared to other pluripotent stem cell types, demonstrating genetic and epigenetic stability. They are being investigated for applications in understanding human cell lineage development, drug screening, cell-based therapies, and agriculture.

Ambassador George Hara is an archaeologist, tech entrepreneur, and venture capitalist.

In private sector, he founded DEFTA Partners in 1985. He was considered one of the most prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalists in the 1990s. He led more than twenty tech companies to success in the U.S., Europe, UK, Israel, and Japan, including Borland, PictureTel, SCO, Tradex, Unify, Oplus Technolgies, Fortinet, CUORiPS. Mr. Hara also founded DEFTA Hong Kong Office, to invest and to foster next generation of entrepreneurs, to promote collaboration between Hong Kong and Japan, and to make Hong Kong China’s international innovation and technology hub.

He has served several posts in public office, such as Special Adviser to the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister of Japan, Special Adviser to the Ministry of Finance, and the Prime Minister’s Special Commissioner on the Government Tax Panel. He is an advisor to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and he used to be the Intergovernmental Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to United Nations.

Ambassador George Hara also serves as Chairman of the Alliance Forum Foundation, and endeavours to promote the cultivation of new industries for a new era and to foster global leadership around the development of a next-generation core industry.

Dr. Abby Gao is the Deputy Head of DEFTA Partners Hong Kong and oversees the operation of the Hong Kong based activities. She works as an investor in a wide range of biotech areas in Hong Kong to identify the advanced technology with potential, work closely with researchers, and help the tech-based startup grow. Before DEFTA, she worked in Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) promoting development and commercialization of innovative technology in therapeutic area and facilitating the business development of biotech companies in Hong Kong. Before moved to Hong Kong, Dr. Gao was trained as a scientist with Ph.D. in Chemistry and worked in Merck Sharp & Dohme focusing on drug discovery in the U.S..