Zai Lab Announces the Appointment of Josh Smiley as Chief Operating Officer

SHANGHAI and SAN FRANCISCO and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zai Lab Limited (NASDAQ: ZLAB; HKEX: 9688), a patient-focused, innovative, commercial-stage, global biopharmaceutical company, today announced the appointment of Josh Smiley as its Chief Operating Officer (COO). Mr. Smiley brings over 26 years of experience working within the biopharmaceutical industry, including experience leading finance, corporate strategy, business development, venture capital and the Global Business Services operations at Eli Lilly and Co (Lilly).

“We are very pleased to welcome Josh at this exciting time, when we have so many potential breakthrough therapies in our pipeline,” said Dr. Samantha Du, CEO and Chair of the Board of Zai Lab. “Josh’s extensive leadership expertise developed through his management of a global company make him particularly well-suited for Zai Lab, given our current and future opportunities for growth and expansion. He will be a pivotal architect of our ongoing mission to expand across geographies, diversify our financial footprint and enhance our mission of bringing important medicines to patients around the world. I am very confident that his commitment to high ethical standards and operational excellence will be instrumental in our mission to become a leading global company.”

Mr. Smiley will report directly to Dr. Du and will be a key member of Zai Lab’s executive committee. He will oversee all aspects of business, finance, and global operations. Mr. Smiley will be COO of Zai Lab beginning on August 1, 2022, following the completion of his leave with his current employer.

“I am thrilled to be joining Zai Lab,” said Mr. Smiley. “Zai is on its way to becoming a leading global biotech company, leveraging its outstanding commercial success in Asia and its development of global products. The advancement of Zai’s proprietary research pipeline and the diversification of its portfolio beyond its traditional strength in oncology present tremendous opportunities. This is an exciting time to be joining, as there are so many strengths to build upon.”  

Mr. Smiley began his career at Lilly in 1995, holding leadership positions across the organization culminating in his most recent role of Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Smiley is a graduate of Harvard College, where he received his AB in History.

Mr. Smiley will relocate to the Boston area and be based in Zai Lab’s office in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

About Zai Lab

Zai Lab (NASDAQ: ZLAB; HKEX: 9688) is a patient-focused, innovative, commercial-stage, global biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies that address medical conditions with unmet needs in oncology, autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, and neuroscience. To that end, our experienced team has secured partnerships with leading global biopharmaceutical companies in order to generate a broad pipeline of innovative marketed products and product candidates. We have also built an in-house team with strong product discovery and translational research capabilities and are establishing a pipeline of proprietary product candidates with global rights. Our vision is to become a leading global biopharmaceutical company, discovering, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing our portfolio in order to impact human health worldwide.