Announcement • Jun 04
BeyondSpring Inc. Announces Chief Executive Officer Changes, Effective July 1, 2026
BeyondSpring Inc. announced that the Board has appointed Min Qiu, age 43, as Chief Executive Officer of BeyondSpring, effective July 1, 2026. His mandate is clear, built around three interlocking priorities: Execute DUBLIN-4. DUBLIN-4 is a 442-patient confirmatory Phase 3 trial of Plinabulin plus docetaxel in non-squamous EGFR wild-type NSCLC patients who have progressed on PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor-containing therapies — the most direct path to a regulatory outcome and to establishing Plinabulin as a new standard of care for a large and underserved patient population. A disciplined enrollment is expected from China, a genuine competitive advantage reflecting BeyondSpring’s established clinical infrastructure and Mr. Qiu’s deep relationships across the Chinese clinical and regulatory network. DUBLIN-4 is an execution program, and crossing its finish line is Mr. Qiu’s primary responsibility. Extend Plinabulin’s scientific optionality. The AACR 2026 preclinical data establish a compelling rationale for Plinabulin as a backbone agent in ADC combination regimens. Mr. Qiu will work closely with Chief Scientific Officer Dr. June Lu and SVP of Development Dr. John Mao to develop the clinical and partnership framework for ADC combination studies and other applications of Plinabulin’s GEF-H1 mechanism — with research anchored in China, including the Shanghai Chest Hospital collaboration — as a natural and value-creating extension of the DUBLIN-4 program. Build BeyondSpring’s global partner and investor base. Mr. Qiu will lead BeyondSpring’s engagement with Chinese pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, Japanese pharmaceutical partners, and Asia-based institutional investors active in the oncology and biopharmaceutical space. His fluency in Chinese, English, and Japanese, his leadership of the landmark RMB 1.3 billion Hengrui Pharma licensing collaboration, and his deep relationships across Chinese and Japanese pharmaceutical and investor communities give him a distinctive capability to build the financial and partnership base BeyondSpring’s agenda requires. Mr. Qiu has been actively involved in BeyondSpring’s corporate development for five years. He previously served as Board Secretary of Guangyuyuan Chinese Herbal Medicine Co. Ltd. and as a healthcare analyst at China Merchants Securities, focused on the China-Japan pharmaceutical sector. He holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy and a Master of Engineering in Technology Management for Innovation from the University of Tokyo. Dr. Lan Huang, the current Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the Company, will transition from her role as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026 Dr. Lan Huang, PhD, remains Chairman of BeyondSpring, committing her time to SEED Therapeutics, where she serves as Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer — a structure designed to give each company a fully dedicated executive leader. This reflects a principled governance decision and a thoughtful succession plan. Dr. Huang is also the Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of SEED Therapeutics, a clinical-stage targeted protein degradation company advancing its next phase of development and capital formation. The Board concluded that the right answer is to ensure each company has dedicated leadership suited to its current stage. As Chairman, Dr. Huang will provide strategic vision and Board leadership for BeyondSpring. The clarity of that structure — strategic governance at BeyondSpring and operational leadership at SEED — is itself a governance strength. It gives BeyondSpring’s Board and shareholders a dedicated management team with the full operational focus that DUBLIN-4 demands and gives SEED’s investors and scientific partners the executive commitment they are entitled to expect. Dr. Huang holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, conducted postdoctoral research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and has published in Science and Nature. She is the co-inventor of multiple Plinabulin patents and has built and exited multiple companies, including transactions with Warburg Pincus and Shanghai Pharmaceutical Group. Her scientific vision and founding legacy remain central to BeyondSpring’s identity.
