NEW
YORK, Feb. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Yi Zhang and shareholders representing over
59.2% of the outstanding shares of YS Biopharma Co., Ltd. (the
"Company" or "YS") (NASDAQ: YS) (the "Convening Shareholders")
today announced the successful approval of all resolutions at the
YS Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders ("EGM") held
today. 62,132,308 shares out of 93,058,197 total outstanding shares
of YS voted in the EGM, which represents 66.8% of all outstanding
shares. Before the EGM, individuals purporting to be
representatives of the Company arrived at the offices where the EGM
was to be conducted, but they indicated that they intended to
disrupt the business for which the EGM was convened by the
Convening Shareholders, so they were not permitted to enter the
premises where the EGM was noticed to be held.
The resolutions passed by the shareholders at the EGM
are as follows:
- The removal of the following directors from office of the
Company: Hui Shao, Bo Tan, Ajit
Shetty, Viren Mehta,
Shaojing Tong, Rachel Yu, Yuntao
Cui, Jin Wang, Henry Chen, Haitao
Zhao, Pierson Yue Pan and
Chunyuan (Brenda) Wu; and
- the election of the following seven nominees as directors of
the Company: Nan Zhang, Yun (Monica) Zhang, Chi
Keung (Peter) Lui, Jing Xia
Li, Yi Zhang, Yuan Liu and
Jimin Wang.
Details of the number of shares voted in person or by proxy on
the resolutions was as follows:
Resolution
|
For
|
Against
|
Shares
Voted
|
%
|
Shares
Voted
|
%
|
1. The removal of
the following directors from office of the Company: Hui Shao, Bo
Tan, Ajit Shetty, Viren Mehta, Shaojing Tong, Rachel Yu, Yuntao
Cui, Jin Wang, Henry Chen, Haitao Zhao, Pierson Yue Pan and
Chunyuan (Brenda) Wu.
|
55,123,743
|
88.7 %
|
7,008,565
|
11.3 %
|
2. The election of
the following seven nominees as directors of the Company: Nan
Zhang, Yun (Monica) Zhang, Chi Keung (Peter) Lui, Jing Xia Li, Yi
Zhang, Yuan Liu and Jimin Wang.
|
55,123,743
|
88.7 %
|
7,008,565
|
11.3 %
|
There were no abstentions and no "withhold" votes.
Yi Zhang thanks his fellow
shareholders for their support in achieving this positive outcome
today. The actions taken reflect an overwhelming shareholder
repudiation of the prior board of directors of the Company
(the "Board") and the total disregard for shareholder perspectives
shown by the prior Board and management team. Given the result of
the vote, Yi Zhang is confident that
YS will now be able to focus its full efforts on executing its
business strategy and preserving and growing long-term value for
all shareholders.
The full text of each resolution is contained in the notice of
general meeting set out in the Circular, a copy of which is
available here:
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1946399/000110465924024545/tm246234d1_ex99-a.htm
Immediately following the successful conclusion of the EGM,
the new board of directors of the Company voted [unanimously] to
effect the following resolutions (among others):
- the appointment of Mr. Yi Zhang as the chairperson of the
board with immediate effect;
- the removal of each of Hui Shao, Bo Tan, Ajit
Shetty, Viren T. Mehta,
Shaojing Tong and Rachel Yu (collectively, the "Removed
Directors") from all of the relevant committees of the board of the
Company including the audit committee, the compensation committee
and the nominating and corporate governance committee and from the
relevant board and committee (if any) of each subsidiary of the
Company with immediate effect;
- the appointment of each of Jing Xian Li, Chi Keung (Peter) Lui and Yun (Monica) Zhang as a member of the audit
committee and Chi Keung (Peter) Lui
as the chairperson of the audit committee with immediate
effect;
- the appointment of each of Yun (Monica) Zhang, Jing Xian Li and Nan Zhang as a member of the compensation
committee and Yun (Monica) Zhang as
the chairperson of the compensation committee with immediate
effect;
- the appointment of each of Yi Zhang, Yun (Monica) Zhang and Jing Xian Li as a member
of the nominating and corporate governance committee and
Yi Zhang as the chairperson of the
nominating and corporate governance committee with immediate
effect;
- the removal of Hui Shao from all positions with the
Company and any subsidiaries of the Company, including without
limitation as chief executive officer and president of the
Company;
- the removal of Chunyuan (Brenda)
Wu from all positions with the Company and any subsidiaries
of the Company, including without limitation as chief financial
officer of the Company;
- the appointment of Nan Zhang as the chief executive
officer of the Company;
- the appointment Hongman Jia as the chief financial officer
of the Company;
- the instruction to the registered office provider of the
Company to refrain from issuing any new shares to Apex Prospect
Limited ("APL") pursuant to a purported share purchase agreement
entered into by and between APL and the Company (the "Purported
Private Placement", and/or effecting any changes to any registers
and/or records of the Company in relation to the Purported Private
Placement or otherwise recording any transfer of any shares to
APL;
- the approval of Yi Zhang's sole authority to negotiate the
repayment of the USD40,000,000 loan
from R-Bridge Investment Three Pte.
Ltd.;
- the approval of certain actions against the Removed
Directors;
- the approval of the engagement of legal counsel already engaged
by Yi Zhang and the related expenses to be borne by the
Company and its subsidiaries;
- the establishment of a special committee of independent
directors;
- the termination of engagement of Cooley LLP with immediate
effect;
- the termination of engagement of Mourant Ozannes (Cayman)
LLP with immediate effect; and
- the termination of engagement of ICR LLP with immediate
effect.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
This press release (including its attachments) contains
"forward-looking statements." All statements in this release other
than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements,
including statements regarding the EGM, the leadership of YS,
its ability to develop and commercialize current and planned
products, its research and development efforts and other matters
regarding business strategies, results and plans and objectives for
future operations. These statements are based on the beliefs and
assumptions of the Convening Shareholders and on information
currently available to them, which is based in part on information
provided by the prior Board and management of YS. Although the
Convening Shareholders believe that they have a reasonable basis
for such statements, these statements are based on a combination of
facts and factors currently known and projections of the future,
which are inherently uncertain. In some cases, you can
identify forward-looking statements by the words "may," "will,"
"could," "would," "should," "expect," "intend," "plan,"
"anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "project,"
"potential," "continue," "ongoing" or the negative of these terms
or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking
statements contain these words. These statements involve risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results,
events or achievements to differ materially from the information
expressed or implied by these statements. These risks,
uncertainties and other factors include the possibility of
undisclosed actions by members of the prior YS Board and
management, potential efforts to dilute shareholders, the outcome
of pending litigation and the prospect of litigation (including
regarding the EGM), the potential for potential defaults or
enforcement by the creditors of YS, and other risks, uncertainties
and factors described under the headings "Risk Factors,"
"Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations" and elsewhere in the documents filed by YS
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or in public
statements by the Convening Shareholders from time to time.
Forward-looking statements may not prove to be accurate. The
forward-looking statements in this press release speak as of the
date hereof, and the Convening Shareholders undertake no obligation
to update any forward-looking statements for any reason, except as
required by law.
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SOURCE Yi Zhang