Chris has the overall responsibility for Origo’s operations, investments and services worldwide. A Norwegian national based in Beijing since 1997, Chris was the Founder and Managing Partner of Ascend Ventures, the predecessor of Origo. Chris was previously Managing Partner of MINT, a PwC Consulting’s joint venture investment arm in China. In that capacity, Chris invested in half a dozen technology start-ups in the internet, telecom and media sectors. Before that, he served as a Regional Director of Asia with Elkem, an Oslo and Frankfurt listed company. At Elkem, Chris led one of the largest equity and project finance deals in western China to date. In total, Chris has over 15 years of emerging and established market experience, gained in China, India, Russia, Japan, France and the US. A graduate of ESSEC in Paris, Chris holds an MBA with a specialization in Finance from the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business.

As the Chairman of Origo and its Investment Committe, Mr. Wang provides expert advise and governance to the company’s investment decisions. A Chinese citizen, Mr. Wang is the founding partner and CEO of ChinaEquity Group, a China-based independent venture capital and merchant banking firm which focuses on the technology, environmental protection, modern agriculture, health industry,media and telecommunications sectors. Before founding ChinaEquity Group in 1999, Mr. Wang had spent 12 years in the investment banking and financial services industry with Chase, Standard & Poors, Morgan Stanley and the China Development Bank. During that time, he headed Morgan Stanley’s Beijing operation for three years. Mr. Wang has won several venture capital awards in China, acts as an advisor to several government funds and organizations and has served as a founding member of the Board of Governors and the Secretary General of China Venture Capital Association. He is the Chairman of China Team, the first Chinese competition team of The America’s Cup. (http://www.chinaequity.net/)

As the CFO of the Group, Niklas oversees new investments and portfolio companies. He is also responsible for all matters related to finance, accounting, and legal compliance. Niklas brings a background in business analysis and consulting, as well as close to ten years of venture capital and private equity investment experience in China. Niklas joined Origo from Siemens Venture Capital (SVC), where he was a founding member of Siemens Acceleration Fund. In that capacity, he was associated with Siemens’ minority investments in half a dozen Chinese technology companies. Before his arrays into venture capital investing, Niklas worked with LECG, a NASDAQ listed economic and finance consulting firm. Niklas also spent a few years at a U.C. Berkeley affiliated think-tank, researching technology and business trends in the Asia-Pacific. A Swedish national, Niklas received his BA with highest honors from U.C. Berkeley. He resides in Beijing since 2001 and is a fluent speaker of Mandarin Chinese.

Mr. Cao Jian is a Managing Director of Origo Partners PLC.

Jian joined Origo from ePlanet Capital, a global venture capital firm previously known as DFJ ePlanet Ventures, where he was an Executive Director / Partner, focusing on investments in the clean-tech， education and TMT sectors.

Previously, Jian was a Director with Standard Chartered Private Equity. At Standard Chartered, he was responsible for expansion stage investments in Chinese companies. In his last thirteen years as a private equity and investment banking professional, Jian has invested in a number of successful Chinese companies, in particular in the manufacturing and real-estate sectors.
Selected deals include DongFeng Motor Group (489.HK, US$50m), Golden Dragon Copper Tube Co. Ltd.(US$50m, target A-share IPO), Sino-Ocean Real Estate Group (3377.HK, US$35m), Shimao Holdings ( 813.HK, US$50m), and China  Grentech Inc.(GRRF.Nasdaq, US$10m).

Jian has also been an investment banker with Bank of China International, where he was the head of M&A, and with China International Capital Corporation (CICC)， where he worked on several large capital deals in China. As a corporate advisor, Jian led a series of high-profile transactions, including a US$400 private investment by Veolia Environment into Shenzhen Water, which remains one of the largest M&A transactions in the sector to date in China.

Jian holds a BSc in Computer Science and a MA in Finance, both from Beijing University.

Mr Leslie is the Head of Origo Partners Metals & Mining Private Equity, Co-Head of Trafigura-Origo Joint Venture, Portfolio Manager of the China Commodities Absolute Return Fund and Portfolio Manager of the MSE Liquidity Fund. In addition Mr Leslie is also Executive Managing Director of Origo Partners Exploration and Origo Resources International. Mr Leslie has 10 years of transaction experience in Metals and Mining, including time with the Metals and Mining team at UBS Investment Bank, and with the Natural Resources team at Accenture.  In addition to the Kincora Copper (KCC:TSX) Board of Directors, he is a member of the Board of Directors of Gobi Coal & Energy, Moly World, China Commodities Absolute Return Fund, MSE Liquidity Fund and Resource Investment Capital

Shen Lin is an Investment Director of Origo Partners PLC. Prior to joining Origo, Mr. Lin served as a Vice President of Milestone Capital Partners Ltd., a China focused private-equity fund with US$400 million under management. At Milestone Capital Partners Ltd, Mr. Lin was responsible for sourcing, evaluating, monitoring and exiting Chinese investments in the manufacturing and services sectors, focusing particularly on opportunities in the renewable energies sector. Before Milestone Capital Partners Ltd, Mr. Lin was an Associate with the corporate venture capital group of Siemens Ltd China, and an Investment Manager with IDG Technology Venture Investment LLC, one of the earliest international venture capital firms in China. Over the last four years, Mr. Lin has worked on numerous transactions covering the telecommunications, media and technology, manufacturing and the alternative energy sectors. Before working in private equity, Mr. Lin was a senior Manager with International Data Corporation, or IDC, the international market research group. An engineer by training, he also has five years experience as an IT and project manager. A Chinese national, Mr. Lin graduated from the Branch Campus of Peking University with a B.Sc in Computer Science and Electronics and holds a MBA from Lancaster University Management School.

In his position of Investment Director, Gerry is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and managing clean technology and renewable energy investments in China. He also spearheads Origo’s efforts to launch Renminbi funds and securing substantial capital commitments from local governments. Prior to joining Origo, Gerry was the Managing Director of City Continental Finance and Wealth Index (UK), an advisory firm assisting Chinese businesses to access western capital markets. A serial entrepreneur, Gerry co-founded and successfully ran numerous technology-based service companies, including China M&E Tech, Lingtu Map, and Golden Century Network Reservation. . Gerry serves as a Non-Executive Director of SNG Green Property Fund. He was also the Managing Director of Beijing Additional Consulting, where he provided technical advisory services on CDM applications to over 20 clean technology projects, including wind, biomass, coal bed methane and landfill gas power generation. His 15 years of business experience in China and the international financial markets have significantly benefitted his work in private equity, particularly in advising overseas listings and cross-border M&A transactions.  Gerry graduated from the Cass Business School at City University in the UK and holds an MS in Finance.

Echo Luan heads up Origo’s accounting and finance department. Echo Luan joined the Company from Lucent China, where she held various senior positions and served as the Finance Director from 2003 until 2007. Echo has a diverse financial management experiences in project risk assessment, joint-venture support, financial consolidation, annual business planning & budgeting, and US/PRC GAAP and SEC SOX compliance. Echo graduated from Southwest University of Finance and Economics in Finance and holds a MBA from Beijing University BIMBA program. She is a qualified China CPA and holds an ACCA and CFA designation

Li Tengfei is Business Development Director at Origo. He is responsible for developing new investment opportunities for the group and its portfolio companies, with a particular focus on RMB fund formation and strategic partnerships with local government and investors. Li Tengfei joined Origo in 2008 with a rich operational background gained from a 10 years career as an entrepreneur, during which he launched and managed several successful IT ventures, including VCOM networks, SinoSecurity and AMI,etc.

Tengfei graduated from Beijing University, where he majored in computer science and electrical engineering. He also holds a MBA from the University of International Business and Economics.

Sig works mainly with start-up initiatives in China, supporting Origo’s portfolio companies with years of experience in getting new ventures off the ground. As a Partner of Ascend Ventures, he co-founded and invested in several Chinese companies, covering mobile and online services, furniture and hospitality sectors. Previously, Sig founded and served as the Chief Operating Officer of Mezzme Ltd, China’s first and leading wireless service provider focusing on the media sector. Sig earned a Diploma in Hospitality Management from the Swiss School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SSH) and holds a MBA from the University of New South Wales.

Abdullo Kurbanov is Vice President of Mining Investments at Origo Partners, responsible for developing a Mongolia investment strategy and representing Origo with portfolio companies. Abdullo was previously at UBS Investment Bank Metals and Mining team in London, involved in advising key clients of the bank across Russia, South Africa and United Kingdom . Prior to UBS, Abdullo worked at Oliver Wyman Financial Services in London, where, among other projects, he worked on implementing new portfolio risk assessment tools and processes at a major Russian commercial bank, and took part in fixed income securities strategy review for a European investment bank. Abdullo is a graduate of the London School of Economics and speaks English, Russian, Turkish, Persian and Tajiki.

Alan is responsible for fund raising and M&A activities for Origo and for its portfolio companies. Alan brings twenty years’ experience of operating in equity capital markets in research, corporate finance and corporate broking roles at ANZ, Beeson Gregory, HSBC and, most recently, at Seymour Pierce. He has been involved in an extensive number of fundraisings for companies in both private and public markets, across a broad range of industry sectors. Over the last five years, Alan has gained significant knowledge of Asian companies, working on financing strategies including fundraisings in London. He worked on the IPO of Origo on London’s AIM market in December 2006. After reading history at Cambridge University, he qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers in its London office. He is a member of the UK’s Securities & Investment Institute and an alumni of the London Business School.

William is the Vice President of Business Development in Origo’s Metals & Mining division. For two years, William was based full time in Origo’s Mongolia office where he sourced investment opportunities and managed the company’s relationship with local stakeholders.  William is now responsible for developing Origo’s business in Mongolia and Kazakhstan. William joined Origo Partners PLC in January 2010 after 5 years with Reuben Brothers, a $15bn family office, where he concentrated on asset backed private equity transactions. Prior to Reuben Brothers, William worked for the Cleland Group, a UK property investment and development fund.  Earlier in his career, William worked for the UK Conservative Party. A dual English and Swiss national, William holds an MA in Theology from the University of Edinburgh.

Ms. Yun Ma is the Director of Portfolio Management at Origo, responsible for portfolio controlling and post investment management. Yun joined Origo from Availink, Inc., a US/ China venture capital backed fabless IC chip design, marketing and sales company, as CFO of the company. Prior to that, Ms. Ma served as CFO for Asian American Coal, Inc., a US private equity backed company investing in coal mining in China, successfully completed an M&A valued at over USD500 million in mid-2008, enabled a timely and successful exit for all the financial investors and a successful acquisition for a strategic industry player. Ms. Ma brings a strong background in financial analysis coupled with rich operational experience, she held various positions in corporate finance with focus on financial planning and analysis with several large fortune 500 companies such as ConAgra Foods, RR Donnelley, and Owens Corning in the US, and Procter & Gamble in China. Ms. Ma received BA in Finance from Tianjin College of Finance & Economics, MA in Economics and MBA from University of Toledo, Ohio. She is also a graduate from Harvard Business School’s Executive Education, General Management Program.

Jemma Casey, CFA is Vice President of Mining Investments at Origo partners, responsible for developing Origo’s mining investment strategy and representing Origo with portfolio companies. Jemma is also the Assistant Portfolio Manager of the China Commodities Absolute Return Fund. She was previously in the Valuation and Strategy team at PricewaterhouseCoopers in London. Jemma obtained her MA degree from the University of Edinburgh.

Mr Cao has over 29 years of experience in the mining sector, of which 12 years in BHP Billiton’s base metals division in various senior roles, including as a General Manager of the JV of BHP Billiton and Jinchuan Group, and JV of  Billiton and Yunnan BGMR, where he led the team to the discovery of a large Pulang porphyry copper deposit in Yunnan, China. Prior to taking over as Chief Geologist for Origo and Kincora Copper, one of Origo portfolio companies, he served as Senior Geoscientist in Santiago, Chile overseeing copper porphyry exploration in the Andes. Mr Cao’s expertise covers all facets of discovery and project management, with extensive experience on copper porphyry, magmatic sulfide nickel-copper, and other base metal deposits.

Mr Rickus is Head of Technical Services for Origo and the former President of Resolution Copper. He has over 40 years of mining sector experience, including 24 years with Rio Tinto, of which six years as head of Technical Services and six years as a mining executive with the Rio Tinto Copper Group. He has previously served on the Board of Directors of Palabora Mining, the Somincor Copper Mine in Portugal, and the Minera Alumbrera in Argentina. He was a member of the Owners’ Council for Minera Escondida in Chile and led the technical input on Rio Tinto’s behalf in Freeport’s Grasberg mine in Indonesia. Mr Rickus’ expertise encompasses everything from evaluation of potential acquisitions and technical input on joint ventures to leadership of teams of geological, mining, metallurgical, civil and electrical engineers.