The board of directors of AustAsia Group Ltd. announced the following changes in the Board and senior management of the Group: Mr. Edgar Dowse Collins ("Mr. Collins") has tendered his resignation as Executive Director of the Group and will step down from these roles with effect from close of business on 20 April 2026; Mr. Zhang Haicheng, current Operation General Manager, will be promoted to the position of COO of the Group with effect from 21 April 2026, and will continue reporting to Mr. Yang. The main reason for Mr. Collins' resignation is for the Company to implement its succession planning for Mr. Collins to step off his roles in the Group, and the changes are intended to ensure management continuity and an orderly transition. Mr. Collins has been an Executive Director and the CEO of the Group since 2009.
The Board would like to express its gratitude to Mr. Collins for his invaluable contributions to the Group during his tenure of service. Mr. Collins has confirmed that he has no disagreement with the Board. As at the date of this announcement, there are no matters in relation to his resignation that are required to be disclosed under the Listing Rules.
Following Mr. Collins's resignation on 20 April 2026, (1) Mr. Yang Ku, an Executive Director and an existing member of the ESG Committee, has been re-designed by the Board as the chairman of the ESG Committee with effect from 21 April 2026; and (2) Ms. Gao Lina, a Non-executive Director, has been appointed by the Board as a member of the ESG Committee with effect from 21 April 2026. Following the changes above, the ESG Committee comprises the following members: Mr. Yang Ku, chairman, an Executive Director; Ms. Gao Lina, member, a Non-executive Director; and Mr. Li Shengli, member, an Independent Non-executive Director. Mr. Yang Ku, aged 57, joined the Group as a general manager in October 2009 and has served as its COO since October 2015.
He was appointed as an Executive Director of the Company on 5 August 2020 and was last reelected as Executive Director on 7 June 2023. Mr. Yang is a member of the ESG Committee of the Company. He is also a director of various subsidiaries of the Company.
Mr. Yang has over 30 years of experience in the dairy industry. Prior to joining the Group, from August 1991 to August 2004, Mr. Yang worked at Teaching Experiment Farm of Ningxia University as a technician, where he was responsible for technical and production management of the chicken, pig and cattle farms. From August 2004 to September 2009, Mr. Yang worked at Mengniu AustAsia Model Dairy Farm Co. Ltd. now known as Modern Dairy (Helingeer) Co.
Ltd., a then subsidiary of the Group, which was acquired by Modern Farming (Group) Co. Ltd., a non-wholly owned subsidiary of China Modern Dairy Holdings Ltd. in December 2008 and successively held positions as feeding supervisor (responsible for the management of its feeding division), dairy farm manager (responsible for the management of the dairy farm) and general manager (responsible for the overall management of the company). Mr. Yang obtained a bachelor's degree in animal husbandry from School of Agriculture, Ningxia University (formerly known as Ningxia Agricultural College) in the PRC in July 1991 and a master's degree in animal nutrition and feed science from Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in the PRC in July 2007.
