About Us
Team
About Us
Team
Bing has more than 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, with a proven track record of successfully leading the discovery and development of multiple biotherapeutics. Most recently, Bing was Senior Vice President, Head of Respiratory, Inflammation, Autoimmune iMED, MedImmune, AstraZeneca. During his tenure at MedImmune, he played key leadership roles in the development and approval of three novel biologics for autoimmune, respiratory, and immune-oncology indications. Previously, Bing also served as Senior Vice President, Head of Immuno-Oncology Franchise, AstraZeneca, as well as CEO for WuXi-MedImmune Joint Venture. Bing joined MedImmune in 2010 from Genentech, where he was the Head of PTL for Immunology, Infectious Diseases, Neuroscience, and Metabolic Disease, and was Vice President and Head of Research for Tanox, before it was acquired by Genentech in 2007. Bing has also held several positions of increasing responsibility at Aventis and Amgen and currently serves on the Board of Directors for NexImmune and Immune-Onc Therapeutics. Bing received his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Iowa, followed by postdoctoral work at Immunex.
Mitch has more than 15 years of finance experience in the life sciences industry and currently serves as Chief Financial Officer. He joined Viela in 2018 as Vice President, Head of Finance & Corporate Strategy, and was instrumental in supporting the Company through capital raises with leading healthcare investors. Previously, Mitch served as the Director of Investor Relations for AstraZeneca, North America and prior to that held several roles of increasing responsibility at Genentech-Roche including in BioOncology Commercial Finance, R&D Finance, and Mergers & Acquisitions. Mitch is the recipient of Executive Certifications from Stanford University, University of California (Haas), and University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) and earned his BSc, MSc and MBA (Rotman School of Management) from the University of Toronto.
Jorn has more than two decades of experience in research and development in the inflammation and autoimmune therapeutic field. Most recently, Jorn served as Vice President, Clinical, MedImmune, where he headed the clinical functions of respiratory, inflammation, autoimmune, cardiovascular, metabolic and infectious disease. In 2011, Jorn joined MedImmune from Genentech, where he was a Senior Medical Director for the inflammation and autoimmune assets. Earlier in his career, he served as a Medical Director for Amgen. Jorn received his medical degree from the University of Cologne in Germany and Ph.D. in immunology from Cornell Medical School/Hospital for Special Surgery, followed by residency at New York Hospital and Rheumatology fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
Jim has more than 15 years of legal experience in the life sciences, spanning intellectual property, transactional and commercial matters, as well as IP and commercial litigation. At Viela Bio, he serves as General Counsel and is accountable for all legal matters. He also serves as the company Secretary. Previously, Jim was a Legal Director and a Senior Patent Director in AstraZeneca’s Legal department. Before joining AstraZeneca, Jim was an attorney at a major IP boutique. Jim is a registered patent attorney and received his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Cell & Molecular Biology from Michigan State University.
Soraya has more than two decades of experience in project leadership and regulatory affairs. Most recently, Soraya served as a Senior Director, Project Development Team Leader at MedImmune, responsible for the development of inebilizumab, prezalumab, and MEDI0700. Before she joined MedImmune in 2011, Soraya was a Director of Regulatory Policy at Novartis, and served in several roles of increasing responsibility in the research and development organization at Novartis. She began her career as a Reviewer at the Food and Drug Administration. Soraya received her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from the University of Washington.
Maureen has over 25 years of experience in the biotech industry, specializing in orphan and ultra-orphan drug launches. Most recently in the role of Head of U.S. Market Access for Amicus Therapeutics, she developed strategies and managed commercial activities for market readiness, new product launch, targeted distribution and specialty pharmacies, reimbursement, patient access and patient support services. Previously, she served as Senior Director, Market Access and Key Accounts for NPS Pharma, where she successfully launched two first-in-class ultra-orphan products within three years. In addition, Maureen served as a Managed Markets Director at Genzyme as well as a Sales leader at Genentech. Maureen earned a BSc in Nursing from the University of Toledo.
Bill has more than 20 years of commercial experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Most recently, Bill was a Director for AstraZeneca where he led the worldwide commercial strategy for anifrolumab in systemic lupus erythematosus. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, Bill spent 15 years at Boehringer-Ingelheim in roles of increasing responsibility, including leading the launch of respiratory, cardiovascular and oncology products. Bill started his pharmaceutical career at Merck and received his MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Aaron has over 15 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical business, specializing in research and development. At Viela Bio, he manages Quality, IT, Business Development, Procurement and Contracts functions. Most recently, Aaron served as the MedImmune China Lead, leading company R&D initiatives for China. Previously, he was a Director of Business Development, with MedImmune’s BioPharmaceutical Development and Partnering groups. Before he joined MedImmune in 2014, Aaron was with McKinsey & Co, SR One and held multiple roles of increasing responsibility in R&D with Schering-Plough and Abbott Labs. Aaron received his MBA with honors in Finance and Healthcare Management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from the University of Washington, at which time he was an Eli Lilly Fellow.
Kate has more than two decades of diverse experience in Human Resources, including deep experience in talent acquisition, succession strategy, workforce planning, performance coaching and organizational change management. For the past decade, Kate has held a variety of Human Resources roles with increasing responsibilities, primarily with MedImmune and AstraZeneca. Most recently, Kate served as a Global Director at AstraZeneca, where she supported multiple functions within the biologics and small molecule teams. Prior to entering a global role, she was Director of HR, Training and Communications at the Frederick Manufacturing Facility, where she developed and executed a strategic workforce plan that grew staff from approximately 150 to 650 employees. Earlier in her career, Kate served in HR roles at Fugro EarthData, a global oil and gas company, and Pearson Education. Kate holds a B.A. in History from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Yang has more than 17 years of experience in biopharmaceutical process development and commercialization. At Viela Bio, she oversees all aspects of process development, manufacturing, and supply of clinical and commercial products across portfolio. Most recently, Yang was Senior Director, Analytical Sciences at Biopharmaceutical Development, MedImmune, where she made key contributions to the BLA/MAA approval of three novel biologics. Yang also served as Director, Purification Process Sciences at MedImmune, and was responsible for leading the development of scalable downstream process for multiple complex novel molecules. Earlier in her career, she served as Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls Team Leader. Prior to joining MedImmune in 2009, Yang worked at Amgen and Pfizer in roles of increasing responsibility in process development, characterization, technology transfer, commercial manufacturing support and post-approval changes. She completed her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from University of Virginia, followed by Postdoctoral Research at Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at University of California, San Francisco.
