Yudí Ding

Yudí Ding was born and raised in China, where he completed a Bachelor of Science in Natural Sciences at Fudan University in Shanghai. Selected by the French Embassy as a France Excellence Scholar, he went on to study Chemical Engineering at École Polytechnique in Paris before pursuing doctoral research in Organic Chemistry at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Professor Chris Hunter FRS. It was during his PhD — which focused on nano-machinery methods for artificial cell signalling systems — that Ding first encountered the protein science that would become the foundation of PACT. Prior to completing his doctorate, he had also worked in manufacturing management at Johnson & Johnson and in the advanced research unit at L'Oréal.

Ding co-founded PACT in 2020 alongside physicist Niels Ramay, originally under the name Hide Biotech. The founding insight was straightforward but ambitious: if leather is 90% collagen, then a material built from natural collagen — without livestock, without toxic chemistry — could replicate everything designers love about it. The challenge was scale. Most biomaterial innovators had produced compelling laboratory samples that proved impossible to manufacture at the volumes luxury brands required. Ding's engineering background led him to prioritise scalability from day one, developing processes designed for roll-to-roll manufacturing rather than batch production.

As CEO of PACT, Ding leads a team of scientists, engineers and sustainability specialists working at the intersection of materials chemistry, luxury manufacturing and climate technology. The company's flagship material, Oval, has been validated by leading luxury maisons and is produced at PACT's 13,000-square-foot Cambridge headquarters. Ding has built senior partnerships with Hermès alumni and leading tanneries, and the company has received backing from Forbion's BioEconomy Fund and HV Capital following its £15m Series A.

Ding has become a prominent voice on the future of sustainable materials, arguing that the fashion industry's transition away from plastic-coated textiles requires not just innovation but manufacturing compatibility. His work has been recognised by Tech Nation's climate tech programme and through PACT's inclusion in the World Economic Forum's network of material innovators. He holds patents in collagen biomaterial processing and has published research articles in materials chemistry during his academic career at Cambridge.