Advisors
On January, 7, 2014 U.S. President Barack Obama nominated Max Sieben Baucus to be Ambassador of the United States of America to the Peoples Republic of China. He served as Ambassador from February 21, 2014 until January 19, 2017. Ambassador Baucus formerly served as the senior United States Senator from Montana. He served in the U.S. Senate from 1978 to 2014 and was Montana’s longest serving U.S. Senator as well as the third longest tenure among those serving in the U.S. Senate.
While in the Senate, Ambassador Baucus was Chairman and Ranking Member of the powerful Senate Committee on Finance. While Chairman, he was the chief architect of the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA) which was signed by President Barack Obama into law March 23, 2009.
Ambassador Baucus has extensive experience in international trade. As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, he led the passage and enactment of the Free Trade Agreements with 11 countries: Australia, Bahrain, Jordan, Chile, Colombia, Morocco, Oman, Panama, Peru, Singapore and South Korea. He also was deeply involved in orchestrating the congressional approval of permanent normal trade relations with China in 2000 and in facilitating China’s entrance into the World Trade Organization in 2001.
Ambassador Baucus also served as Vice Chairman of the Senate Joint Committee on Taxation and as a member of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry where he led in the reauthorization of numerous Farm Bills. He was additionally selected as a member of the Senate Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (Super Committee) following the financial crisis of 2008. Ambassador Baucus was also a member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and chaired its Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure where he managed numerous infrastructure legislative acts and Highway Bills.
Before his election to the U.S. Senate, Ambassador Baucus represented Montana in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975 to 1978 and represented Missoula, Montana in the Montana House of Representatives from 1973 to 1974.
Ambassador Baucus earned a bachelor’s and law degree from Stanford University. He is married to Melodee Hanes and they have three children and one adorable granddaughter.
Friedhelm Blobel Ph.D.
Former President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Friedhelm Blobel, Ph.D. served as President, Chief Executive Officer and as a Director since June 2006 of SciClone Pharmaceuticals. From July 2000 to 2006, Dr. Blobel was President, CEO and a Director of Gryphon Therapeutics, Inc., a South San Francisco based biopharmaceutical company. Prior to joining Gryphon Therapeutics in July 2000, Dr. Blobel spent more than two decades as an executive with the Hoechst Group and the Boehringer Mannheim Group including responsibilities in the areas of diabetes and in vitro diagnostics. His roles at these companies included Group President of several product divisions, Chief Technology Officer and General Manager in Tokyo, Japan of a marketing and sales joint venture between Boehringer and Yamanouchi Pharmaceuticals (now Astellas Pharma, Inc.), and Senior Vice President of Research and Development Diabetes and Patient Care in Mannheim, Germany as well as in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Blobel earned his doctorate degree (“Dr.rer.nat.”; a Ph.D. equivalent) with a dissertation in Biochemistry and Microbiology from the University of Hohenheim, Germany and holds an advanced degree in Chemistry from the University of Stuttgart, Germany. Dr. Blobel has spent his entire career in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry and brings to the Board experience in general management, research and development, and product marketing and distribution.
Mike Dethick LLB
President and CEO, Dethick Partners
Mike is an experienced business professional with a broad portfolio of skills gained through the management and growth of multi-disciplined companies.
His focus has been on international business development, membership and non-for profit organizations achieving operational P&L success in China, Asia & West Africa.
A graduate in Law he has maintained senior government and European engagement with Chinese Ministries, Embassy Trade & Investment Teams, the European Union Delegation and associated trade partner organizations.
Based in Beijing he is a former Managing Director of RDPAC, IFPMA Council Member, Vice Chairman of CAEFI, a nationwide non-profit social entity reporting to the Ministry of Commerce and Vice Chairman of the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM China).
Visiting Professor to the Nanjing University of the Arts.
A high profile and recognized industry KOL, public speaker and regular panel list at major China healthcare and pharmaceutical conferences.
Liz Haenle
Co-founder and President, SAGE Worldwide
Elizabeth Haenle is Co-founder and President of SAGE Worldwide, a global speaker and event consulting company based out of Beijing, PRC. She serves as a director for President Barack Obama’s 100,000 Strong Foundation, an initiative providing opportunities for U.S. students to study in China. Haenle is also a director for Americans Promoting Study Abroad (APSA), a non-profit organization aimed at providing underprivileged American high school students with opportunities to study abroad in China. Prior to starting two companies, Haenle worked at the White House as the Social Secretary and Residence Manager to the Vice President of the United States. Her main responsibilities included planning events at the official residence of the Vice President and traveling internationally on behalf of the President and Vice President to conceptualize, organize, and set-up events. She was also responsible for overseeing the décor, management and upkeep of the Vice President’s residence.
Earlier in her career, Elizabeth served as an aide to former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Barbara Hackman Franklin, with a strong focus on U.S.-China trade relations. Elizabeth joined Barbara Franklin Enterprises after planning events on Capitol Hill for a member of Congress and working for two candidates for U.S. President. Elizabeth also worked for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, where she planned events and visits to Atlanta for the International Olympic Committee (IOC). She is also a committee member of the Royal Asiatic Society Beijing Chapter, whose mission is to bring China and the world together.
Kewen Jin
Special Advisor, China R&D Matters, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Kewen Jin is the CEO and co-founder of Symap Medical, a medical-device company based in China. He is also chairman of BayHelix, an organization of Chinese life-sciences business leaders in China and the U.S., and a special advisor to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in its China R&D matters. In the last 15 years, Jin co-founded and served as CEO of several companies in the areas of drug discovery, medical devices, health-care services and contract research organizations. He has been an advisor to many pharmaceutical, health-care companies, consulting and investment firms. Jin also helped two leading life-science parks in China–Shanghai Zhangjiang and Suzhou Biobay–to develop and implement strategic plans, and was the founding chair of the Shanghai CRO Association. Previously, he was a marketing and international operations executive with Wyeth in the U.S. and in China. Jin studied medicine at the Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, molecular biology at Rockefeller University and finance at Columbia University.
James Li, MD
Chief Executive Officer, JW Therapeutics
Dr. James Li is the Chief Executive Officer of JW Therapeutics, a leading cancer treatment company in China, building the best and most innovative cell-therapies in the market. Prior to JW Therapeutics, James was the founding General Manager for Amgen in China, where he led the company’s efforts in expanding its business into the Chinese market to help Chinese patients gain access to Amgen’s vital medicines.
Prior to joining Amgen, James was a Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers life science practice, first in the US Pandemic Fund and later, in its China Fund. He successfully invested in early stage university spin out, growth stage companies and led a portfolio company went to public in 2010.
From 1991 to 2006, James spent over 15 years with Merck Co. & Inc. where he held leadership positions with increasing responsibilities in clinical research, regulatory affairs, new product development and franchise management, both in the US and Asia Pacific/China. During his tenure, he was instrumental in obtaining regulatory approvals of Merck vaccines across Asia Pacific Region when the Vaccine Division started operations in the region, successfully built the foundations of Merck’s medical operations in China and drove the success of Merck’s largest franchise in Asia.
James received his Medical Degree from Shanghai Medical University followed by a Master of Science degree in Microbiology from the University of Montana.
Edward C. Reno III
Partner, Forbes Tate Partners
Previously, Mr. Reno was a Managing Director at Strathspey Crown, LLC and the company’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs. Strathspey Crown is a private equity firm focused on lifestyle healthcare and partners with board certified physician specialists to bring to market innovative technologies and services in the self-pay sector.
Prior to Strathspey Crown, Mr. Reno was the Chief Government Affairs Officer for Allergan, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device company. Working at the direction of Allergan’s Chairman & CEO, and in collaboration with Allergan’s internal and external stakeholders, Mr. Reno was responsible for creating and executing the legislative and advocacy strategy for the company on policy issues related to drug approvals, marketplace-impacting laws and regulations, tax, trade, antitrust, and general business issues.
Notably, Mr. Reno led the public policy and lobbying effort to defend the company from an unprecedented hostile takeover – an effort that resulted in the company’s market capitalization increasing by over $30 billion upon its sale in March 2014. Additionally, he successfully led the effort against congressional and state tax proposals, saving the company $5 billion by creating and leading a coalition of corporations, physicians and patients. Globally, Mr. Reno worked with the Chairman & CEO to develop and implement the company’s approach to government officials and regulators in key international markets, including China and Brazil.
Mr. Reno also served as a senior counselor to California Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Pete Wilson. He started his career working for then US Senator Pete Wilson.
In 2005, Mr. Reno was nominated by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and confirmed by the California State Senate, to a four-year term as a Commissioner of the California Boating and Waterways Commission.
Mr. Reno sits on the board of GenNext, an organization working to overcome generational challenges in three areas: economic growth, education, and international security.
Additionally, Mr. Reno served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Orange County Marathon, an executive board member of the Orange County Business Council, a board member of the Public Affairs Council, and a member of the John Wayne Orange County Alumni Chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.
Mr. Reno is a graduate of the University of Southern California and has attended executive training at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Alex Turkeltaub
Chief Executive Officer, Roam
Alex is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Roam. Before Roam, Alex co-founded and served as Chief Executive of Frontier Strategy Group (FSG), a venture-backed data and analytics company focused on emerging markets that currently serve more than 250 leading multinationals.
Alex and his family immigrated to the United States from the Soviet Union in 1988. He holds a B.A. and M.A. degrees in International Relations from Stanford University and a J.D. form the Yale Law School.