Guangguang "Steven" Qin
CenntroAbout Guangguang “Steven” Qin
Guangguang “Steven” Qin, age 69, joined Cenntro’s Board on May 31, 2025 and serves as an independent director with over 30 years in investment management across finance, technology, and healthcare. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy and an M.A. in Ethnology from Minzu University of China; recent roles include Founding Partner at Winyin Capital (since 2016) and Director/Founding Partner at Aventa Capital (since 2020) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Pharmaceutical Industries (U.S.) | Senior Vice President | 1993–1999 | Senior operating leadership |
| Bridgecreek International | Director & President, Asia-Pacific | 2001–2005 | Regional leadership, growth initiatives |
| PEM Group | President, China Region | 2006–2010 | Market expansion, capital markets interface |
| Cybernaut (China) Investment | Senior Partner | 2011–2015 | Investment management, portfolio oversight |
| American Education Center | Chief Representative, China Region | 2015–2019 | Market development, institutional outreach |
| West Lake Industrial Research Institute (China) | Dean | 2016–2021 | Industrial R&D leadership, innovation agenda |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Public Company/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winyin Capital | Founding Partner | Since 2016 | Private investment firm |
| Aventa Capital | Director & Founding Partner | Since 2020 | Private investment firm |
Board Governance
- Committees: Audit Committee member (chair: Benjamin Ge), Compensation Committee chair, and Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee member; all committees operate under written charters meeting SEC/Nasdaq standards .
- Independence: Board determined Qin is independent under Nasdaq rules; majority of board nominees are independent .
- Audit Committee engagement: Qin co-signed the Audit Committee Report recommending inclusion of FY2024 audited financials in the 2024 Form 10-K .
- Board/Committee activity: In FY2024, Board met 9 times; Audit, Compensation, and Nominating Committees met 7 times each. Each director attended all meetings during the portion of 2024 in which they served; Qin joined in 2025 (attendance for him in 2024 not applicable) .
- Insider trading/hedging policy: Prohibits directors/officers from using derivatives or short sales; no categories of permitted hedging transactions .
Fixed Compensation
- Non-employee director pay details (cash retainer, committee/meeting fees, equity grants) are not itemized in the 2025 DEF 14A; the Compensation Committee (chaired by Qin) is responsible for recommending non-employee director compensation to the full Board .
Performance Compensation
- Equity plan coverage: Non-employee directors are eligible for awards under the Cenntro Inc. 2023 Equity Incentive Plan (share awards include options, restricted shares, share units, SARs, cash-based, and performance-based awards; aggregate share reserve 30,000,000; ISO limit 30,000,000) .
- Governance features and risk flags: Committee may reprice/cancel-and-regrant awards without stockholder approval (with participant consent); change-of-control may trigger accelerated vesting/exercisability; Dodd-Frank-aligned recoupment for executive incentive pay in event of restatement .
| Performance Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Performance-Based Awards | Awards may be conditioned on compensation committee-selected performance criteria; payable in cash/shares . |
| Change-of-Control Treatment | Committee may provide for acceleration of vesting/exercisability in individual award agreements . |
| Repricing Authority | Committee can modify/cancel and exchange outstanding awards for new awards/cash/other consideration without stockholder approval (participant consent required if adversely affected) . |
| Recoupment/Clawback | Board may recoup incentive compensation from executive officers for intentional misconduct or gross negligence leading to restatement; Dodd-Frank compliance intended . |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Public company boards: None disclosed for Qin .
- Committee interlocks: Compensation Committee interlocks indicate no insider participation; members have not been Company officers .
- Historical committee composition change: Compensation Committee shifted from Ge/Tong (chair Tong) in 2024 to Ge/Qin (chair Qin) in 2025, indicating increased governance accountability for Qin .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Sector breadth: Finance, technology, healthcare investment experience; senior leadership across U.S. and China .
- Education: B.A. Philosophy; M.A. Ethnology (Minzu University of China) .
- Board-relevant skills: Investment oversight, Asia-Pacific operations, institutional networks; Audit Committee financial literacy affirmed at committee level (Ge designated financial expert) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Outstanding |
|---|---|---|
| Guangguang “Steve” Qin | — (none listed in beneficial ownership table) | —% |
| Shares outstanding reference | 47,912,831 as of June 25, 2025 | n/a |
- Alignment notes: No beneficial ownership listed for Qin as of the proxy date; Company policy prohibits hedging via derivatives/short sales; director stock ownership guidelines not disclosed .
Insider Trades
| Year | Section 16 Compliance Note |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Company disclosed no delinquent filers under Section 16(a) for 2024; Qin joined the Board in 2025 |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director; chairs Compensation Committee; serves on Audit and Nominating; explicit committee charters; Audit Committee oversight and reporting signed by Qin and Ge; robust insider trading policy .
- Concerns/RED FLAGS: 2023 Equity Plan permits award repricing and cancellation/regrant without stockholder approval, which can be shareholder-unfriendly if used; director-specific pay/ownership guidelines not disclosed; Qin’s lack of disclosed share ownership reduces “skin-in-the-game” alignment .
- Related-party exposure: No family relationships; legal proceedings not noted; related party transactions are reviewed by Audit Committee; no transactions disclosed involving Qin’s investment entities (Winyin/Aventa) .
- Shareholder advisory context: As an Emerging Growth Company, Cenntro is exempt from say-on-pay and CEO pay ratio disclosures, limiting external feedback mechanisms on compensation; places added importance on Compensation Committee governance under Qin’s chairship .