Who we are

Mathias Hukkelhoven, Ph.D., joined LianBio as R&D Strategy Advisor in September 2021 after retiring from Bristol Myers Squibb. At BMS after the acquisition of Celgene in 2019 he was Sr.VP and responsible for their global Regulatory Sciences and Safety organization. Before the acquisition between 2010 and 2019, he was responsible for a large part of the Global Development organization in BMS including Regulatory, Safety, Biostatistics, Clinical Pharmacology and R&D China. Under Math’s responsibility for the China R&D group, BMS received the first ever PD-1 approval in China (for nivolumab) and the first ever approval for an oral Hepatitis C regimen (daclatasvir plus asunaprevir). Prior to joining BMS in 2010, he was at Novartis for 17 years and held increasingly important positions including Head of US regulatory Affairs and from 2002 onwards Sr. VP, Head of Global Regulatory Affairs. Prior to moving to the US in 1994 Math worked at Hoffmann La Roche in Switzerland as Group Leader in Global Regulatory Affairs. He first joined the pharmaceutical industry in 1984 with Organon in the Netherlands, following a role as Research Fellow of the Dutch Cancer Society with the University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Math has a wealth of experience in global regulatory affairs and drug development, evidenced by his contribution to more than 50 NCEs and hundreds of new indications/formulations over his career to date. He was a member of all senior R&D governance Board at Novartis and BMS. Math has participated in activities that have shaped health authority interactions for our industry, including serving as chairman of the Regulatory Affairs Coordinating Committee at PhRMA, and recently as a PhRMA negotiator for the PDUFA VII negotiations with FDA. He is widely regarded as one of the most experienced global regulatory leaders in the industry. Math received his B.S. and Ph.D. honors degrees in Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

Elliott Levy, MD, joined LianBio as Clinical Advisor in January 2022. Dr. Levy has worked in the pharma industry since 1997, spending all but four years in the field of Clinical Development. Elliott most recently led the Clinical Development organization at Amgen as Senior Vice President, Global Development. In this role he oversaw over 70 programs, giving him one of the broadest clinical development roles in the industry, and gained approval for over two medicines per year on average, more than doubling the size of Amgen’s marketed product portfolio. Prior to joining Amgen in 2014, Elliott served as Senior Vice President and head of Specialty Development at Bristol Myers Squibb. Over the course of Elliott’s career, he has played a major role in the development of over 20 approved medicines at two companies (BMS and Amgen) across 6 therapeutic areas – CV/Metabolic, Inflammation, Nephrology, Oncology, Neuroscience, and Bone – including the first modern immunotherapy for cancer (Yervoy), first oncolytic virus for cancer (Imlygic), and first effective bispecific therapy (Blincyto). In addition to delivering medicines to market, Elliot has managed significant process and organizational transformation efforts, including the launch of novel operating models (strategic CRO partnering model and cloud-based PV database), widespread adoption of innovative adaptive trial methodologies and data-driven approaches to study and program design, and utilization of real-world data in all stages of product development. Elliott received his B.A. from Yale College magna cum laude and MD from Yale Medical School cum laude. He was Chief Resident of Internal Medicine at Yale, and received further training at Yale in Nephrology and Clinical Epidemiology. He also served in the Nephrology faculty at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Zhao Yan, MD, has over 30 years’ experience within China pharmaceutical industry, with 5 years at Roche 5 years as Sales representative then Regulatory Officer rising to Head of Regulatory Affairs (All franchises), 10 years at BMS as Head of Clinical Development/Medical Affairs (All franchises), and 13 years at Novartis: Head of Oncology Development & Medical Affairs, Novartis Global Drug Development (China) 3 years: Head of Global Drug Development China (All franchises) and Chief Innovation Officer. As a Country Head in Development and Medical Affairs, Dr Zhao focused on strategic leadership and management. She has led the successful development and IND/NDA approvals in China in various therapy areas, such as Oncology/Hematology, Cardiovascular, Hepatology, Renal disease, Ophthalmology, and Neuroscience including gene therapy and cell therapy. She also provided input to global decision making and ensuring alignment of the China strategy to maximize contributions to the global programs and to China simultaneously. Dr Zhao is a standing member of China Regulatory Society, Honorary Member of Committee of Oncology Drug Clinical Development, Chinese Anti-Cancer Association (CACA); a member of Oncology Clinical Development of Chinese Traditional Medicine, and a member of several expert committees to provide scientific and enterprise counsel for improving drug development in China. Dr Zhao graduated from Capital Medical University in Clinical Medicine and worked as a Resident then Attending in OBGYN in a leading tertiary hospital in Beijing for 5 years. She gained an EMBA degree from CEIBS (China European International Business School) and received various management trainings tailor made for Novartis executives in Columbia University and also advanced Drug development and clinical research trainings in Russ Medical Centre at Chicago in 2001 and Management for Clinical Researchers in Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University in 2004-2005.