Origin Agritech Limited announced that Mr. Geoffery Merszei will be appointed to the Board of Directors of Origin Agritech. Mr. Merszei will replace Dr. Yingqi Xia as an Independent Director and Chairman of the Compensation Committee effective October 1, 2015. Mr. Geoffery Merszei is Chairman and Chief Executive of Zolentis AG, a global investment and advisory firm based in Zug, Switzerland.

He was previously the Executive Vice President of The Dow Chemical Company; President of Dow Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and Chairman of Dow Europe before retiring in 2013. Dr. Yingqi Xia, who has served on the Board for five years, is retiring from the Board.