(Yicai) Feb. 26 -- US genome sequencing giant Illumina has named the former chairwoman of Xi’an Janssen Pharmaceutical, a Chinese unit of US medical device and drug developer Johnson & Johnson, as its new senior vice president and general manager for China.

Jenny Zheng will replace Li Qing, who resigned last September, as the new SVP and GM for China, effective immediately, Illumina announced today. Zheng will also take a position at the global executive management team, the San Diego-based company added.

Zheng has more than 25 years of international experience in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. At Xi’an Janssen, where she served as chairperson and president, Zheng led teams across countries and regional markets to achieve double-digit growth with an innovation-focused development strategy that resulted in accelerated access and availability of innovative medicines, Illumina noted.

“Genome sequencing is increasingly penetrating the development of precision medicine and becoming an important force in improving health management across the human lifecycle,” said Zheng. “We are committed to enhancing the reach and impact of next-generation sequencing in both scientific research and clinical settings, deepening our localized strategies, and augmenting our manufacturing capabilities to better serve the dynamic healthcare needs in China.”

Last year, Illumina adjusted its senior management team. In September, when Li resigned to join life science firm Waters, it appointed Jacob Thaysen, who was the SVP of US lab instrument supplier Agilent Technologies, as its new chief executive officer.

Illumina said in its latest earnings report that revenue fell 2 percent to USD4.5 billion in the fiscal year 2023 from the year before, without disclosing the figure for China. In the first half of that year, the company’s revenue from the Chinese market shrank 16 percent to USD206 million.

Editor: Futura Costaglione