Leadership

Dr. Geert Cauwenbergh, Chief Executive Officer
Prior to joining RHEI Pharmaceuticals, in February 2008, Dr. Cauwenbergh founded Phases123 LLC, a company focused on identifying high potential health care technology platforms and emerging health care companies. In 2001, Dr. Cauwenbergh founded Barrier Therapeutics, Inc., a company developing novel patented therapeutic agents for treatment of skin diseases. Under his leadership, Barrier Therapeutics went public and raised a total of $250 million in capital, evolving from an R&D organization into a commercial company with expected revenues of $46 to $50 million in 2008, prior to its recent acquisition by Stiefel Laboratories. Before Barrier Therapeutics, Dr. Cauwenbergh served in numerous positions with Johnson & Johnson in both the U.S. and Europe. Dr. Cauwenbergh was also previously with the R&D organization of the Janssen Research Foundation in Belgium.

Dr. Cauwenbergh currently serves as a Board member of DARA Biosciences, Upstream Biosciences as well as Ablynx NV, and is a member of the Board of Trustees, and Vice Chairman of Bio New Jersey. Since 2004, Dr. Cauwenbergh has served as Official Trade Advisor for Health Care in North America to the Belgian Government.

Dr. Cauwenbergh has authored over 100 publications and co-authored several books. He received his Ph.D. in Medical Sciences from the Catholic University of Leuven, Faculty of Medicine, where he also completed his Masters and undergraduate work. In 2004 Dr. Cauwenbergh was inducted in the New Jersey High Tech Hall of Fame.

Mr. De Backer joined RHEI Pharmaceuticals in November 2007 and has more than 15 years of experience in finance & general management. Prior to joining RHEI, Mr. De Backer worked for three years as an independent consultant providing interim management and strategic consultancy services to high tech start-up companies and spin-offs. Mr. De Backer started his career as Investment Manager at Lessius, a private Belgian investment banker. Between 1997 and 2005 Mr. De Backer served at Spector Photo Group, an independent photographic company where he held several positions as Group Financial Controller, Finance & Administration Manager and Business Unit Manager in Belgium, the Netherlands and France. Mr. De Backer holds an MBA in Finance at the Vlerick Leuven Ghent Management School.

Mr. Hopkins is a partner and co-founder of J. W. Childs Associates, a leading private equity firm specializing in middle-market growth companies, where he also serves as president of Asian operations and a member of the investment committee. His activities as a private equity investor have focused on growth oriented companies in a variety of industries. Mr. Hopkins holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mr. Vanderbruggen is founder and Managing Director of Leeward Ventures SICAR, a Luxembourg private equity fund with more than 80 million euro in assets under management.

Madame Zheng graduated from mechanical engineering department of Beijing University of Technology in 1969 and from postgraduate class of Central Party School in 1985. She started her career in 1969 and used to be the deputy director of Shaanxi Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau, Chairman of Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd., General Manager of Shaanxi Pharmaceutical Group Corporation and Chairman of China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation. Mme Zheng is currently Chairman of the China Pharmaceutical Industry Association.