A highly accomplished financial executive with over 25 years of leadership experience spanning investment banking, financial accounting, biomedical/biotech/biopharma innovation, consulting, strategic business management, logistics & supply chain management, and real estate. Mr. Yao brings various industrial experiences and financial leadership, with expertise in financial accounting, operations, strategic budgeting, business transformation, and planning across sectors including life sciences, capital markets, and supply chain.

Mr. Yao is also an experienced management consultant and board advisor, having supported numerous companies in M&A transactions, fundraising, financial strategy, business development, and IPO readiness. As an entrepreneur, he co-founded SelecIn Biomedical Inc., where he led early-stage development of first-in-class small molecule anti-tumer drugs and secured significant private funding.

He has held CFO and executive roles at public and private companies in North America and Asia, including Mountain Valley MD Holdings Inc. (CSE: MVMD.CN, OTCQB: MVMDF), Hanalytics BioMind, and Xinyuan Real Estate Corp. (NYSE: XIN). Previously, Mr. Yao also served in senior management roles at Scotiabank, Morgan Stanley, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he led initiatives across finance, compliance, and deal transactions. He has also served as CFO and Executive Vice President of Lobe Sciences Inc. (CSE: LOBE.CN; OTCQB: LOBEF) and fractional CFO of ASEA Group, and currently sits on the board of PSIG Group (NASDAQ: PSIG) as an Independent Director and Chair of the Audit Committee.

Mr. Yao holds an MBA from McGill University, a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Nankai University, and is designated as a Fellow Chartered Management Accountant (FCMA, UK) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA, AICPA-CIMA).