Chinese decision-makers in pharmaceuticals, biotech and finance make Forbes list of powerful businesswomen in Asia

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Samantha Du, founder and CEO of Zai Lab, is among three Chinese nationals in Forbes’ list of 25 most powerful businesswomen in Asia. Photo: Edmond So

Three Chinese decision-makers in the pharmaceuticals, biotech and finance industries made the annual Forbes list of 25 powerful businesswomen in Asia.

The list, released on Tuesday, highlights businesswomen in Asia who are “rising to the occasion and excelling during these challenging times” as the world battles with the uncertainties brought about by the pandemic, said Rana Wehbe Watson, editor of Forbes Asia’s Power Businesswomen list 2020.

“The list this year recognises 25 women at the helm of companies and institutions across a wide range of industries such as biotech, education, logistics and law,” she said.

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Featuring in the list from China was Zhao Yan, the chairman and general manager of Bloomage BioTechnology, the world’s largest manufacturer of hyaluronic acid, which is used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food supplements.

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Zhao Yan, chairman and general manager of Bloomage Biotechnology, pictured at Admiralty Centre, Hong Kong, in September 2008. Photo: SCMP

The company went public on Shanghai’s Star Market in November 2019 after delisting in Hong Kong two years earlier. Its share price has shot up around 20 per cent, helping Zhao, 54, become one of China’s richest women with a net worth of US$6 billion, according to Forbes.

Samantha Du, 56, founder and chief executive of Shanghai-based pharmaceutical company Zai Lab, also made the cut. The company’s primary business involves licensing foreign firms’ drugs for sale in China, including ovarian cancer drug Zejula, which is licensed from British pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline.

It has a market cap of nearly US$6 billion, and its share price has increased nearly three-fold since listing on the Nasdaq in 2017. It has filed for a secondary listing in Hong Kong, Forbes said.

The third Chinese national to make the list was Annabelle Long, managing partner of Bertelsmann Asia Investments, the investment arm of German media group Bertelsmann. Long, 47, oversees a US$3 billion portfolio of start-ups, including more than 20 unicorns, according to the magazine. She convinced the company to set up a fund to invest in China’s internet sector in 2007, and has helped more than 10 companies go public, including Nasdaq-listed shopping site Mogu and online consumer lender Lexin.

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Lucy Liu Yueting is the co-founder and president of Hong Kong-based fintech unicorn Airwallex. Photo: zhihu.com

The youngest to make the list was 29-year-old Lucy Liu Yueting. The New Zealander is the co-founder and president of Hong Kong-based fintech unicorn Airwallex. The digital payments operator is backed by Tencent and Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing’s Horizon Ventures, which allows companies to manage multicurrency, cross-border transactions at a cheaper rate than banks.

Women from 12 countries and regions made the list this year, which spotlights outstanding leaders in the Asia-Pacific region.

Four women from India made the list, followed by Thailand with three. Australia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia each had two representatives, while Philippines and Malaysia had one each.

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

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