The chairperson of Hong Kong-listed Chinese drugmaker Sinopharm Group Co. Ltd. resigned with immediate effect on Tuesday, less than two weeks after a couple of COVID-19 vaccines developed by the company received official approval.

Li Zhiming cited personal reasons for relinquishing all work duties, a stock exchange filing on his abrupt exit shows.

He was already absent from Sinopharm’s annual presentation meeting on Jan. 6, which more than 90 members of senior management, middle management and the general staff attended, according to a post of the company union on China’s Twitter-like Weibo.

Sinopharm, listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange since 2009, is a core subsidiary of the China National Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. It is the largest wholesaler and retailer of pharmaceutical and health-care products and medical devices, as well as a leading supply-chain service provider in the country.

The departure of Li, 58, came after Chinese authorities in late December gave conditional approval for the launch of the Sinopharm vaccines on the market.

The board of directors of Sinopharm on Tuesday received Li’s notice of resignation from his roles as the chairperson, an executive director and other posts with immediate effect, according to the stock exchange filing. “Mr Li has confirmed that he has no disagreement with the board,” it stated.

The company emphasised that at present, “the existing directors and management of the company are performing their duties as usual and the company continues to conduct its operation as usual,” the filing showed.

It also said that Yu Qingming would serve as acting chair. Yu was the secretary of the Communist Party committee at the company and also an executive director, according to Sinopharm’s website.

Li joined Sinopharm in 2009 and was promoted in March 2017 to chairperson, a role to which he was reappointed in September last year.

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