Management Team

Dr. LI Yifan is the Chairman of the Board, an executive Director and our Co-Founder, and has been serving as our Chief Executive Officer since our inception. Prior to co-founding Hesai, Dr. Li worked at Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) in Silicon Valley from August 2013 to October 2014. Dr. Li received his master’s degree in mechanical engineering and his Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in August 2009 and August 2013, respectively, with a research focus on robotics. Dr. Li also holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering, majoring in measurement and control technology and instrumentation, from Tsinghua University in July 2009. Dr. Li’s numerous accolades include being named as Fortune Magazine’s “40 Under 40 in China,” MIT Technology Review’s “2020 Innovators Under 35 of China,” and a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum for the Class of 2021.

Dr. SUN Kai is an executive Director and our Co-Founder, and has been serving as our Chief Scientist since our inception. Prior to co-founding Hesai, Dr. Sun worked as a research associate at Stanford University in 2014. Dr. Sun’s research focus was primarily on building ultra-fast and high-sensitivity molecular detection systems with lasers and novel detection technologies. These detection systems operate in extreme conditions for the research of reaction kinetics. Dr. Sun is a first author in a number of international journals, and several of his papers were selected to IOP Select (Institute of Physics in the UK), Spotlight of OSA (Optical Society of America), and “100 Years of Combustion Kinetics at Argonne.” In 2013, Dr. Sun won an Outstanding Paper Award for his publication in the academic journal Measurement Science and Technology. Dr. Sun graduated from Stanford University, with a Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering (with a minor in electrical engineering) and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering in January 2014 and January 2010, respectively. Dr. Sun also obtained his bachelor’s degree in thermal energy and power engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in July 2007. 

Mr. XIANG Shaoqing is an executive Director and our Co-Founder, and has been serving as our Chief Technology Officer since our inception. Prior to co-founding Hesai, Mr. Xiang worked at Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) as an iPhone hardware systems integration engineer from April 2011 to October 2014. Mr. Xiang received a fellowship award and obtained his dual master’s degrees in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering from Stanford University in January 2009 and March 2011, respectively. Mr. Xiang was a recipient of the prestigious Graduate Engineering Fellowship award to commence his postgraduate studies at Stanford University in September 2007. Previously, Mr. Xiang received his bachelor’s degree in engineering, majoring in micro-electromechanical systems, from Tsinghua University in July 2007.

Ms. YANG Cailian is an executive Director, our joint company secretary and has been serving as our vice president of operations since November 2017. Ms. Yang joined us in December 2014 as the first employee of Hesai. Prior to joining us, Ms. Yang worked at Citibank (China) Company Limited from October 2014 to December 2014, and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SHA: 600000) from December 2012 to August 2014. Ms. Yang received her bachelor’s degree in business English from Yancheng Teachers University in June 2012.

Mr. FAN Peng has been serving as our Chief Financial Officer since November, 2024. Mr. Fan has been serving as an independent non-executive director of Jiangsu Innovative Ecological New Materials Limited (HKEX: 2116) since March 2018. Prior to his position as our Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Fan served as the chief financial officer of Seyond Holdings Ltd. (previously named: Innovusion Holdings Ltd) from May 2021 to September 2024, vice president of Hailiang Education Group Inc. (NASDAQ: HLG) from August 2020 to April 2021, and the chief strategy officer of Aesthetic Medical International Holdings Group Limited (NASDAQ: AIH) from August 2018 to August 2020. Prior to that, he served as the head of investor relations and capital markets of Dali Foods Group Company Limited (HKEX: 3799) from May 2016 to October 2017, and was responsible for investor relations, corporate development, mergers and acquisitions. Before that, Mr. Fan was the vice president of the corporate finance division of the Hong Kong Branch of Deutsche Bank AG from December 2007 to May 2016. Mr. Fan graduated from Tsinghua University, with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and master’s degree in business administration in July 2004 and July 2006, respectively.