Alibaba in an early announcement on Monday said that chief executive officer (CEO) Daniel Zhang will succeed Jack Ma as chairman of the board, starting September 10, 2019.

Ma will continue as executive chairman at Alibaba over the next 12 months for a smooth transition of the chairmanship to Zhang, the company said in a statement. After that, he intends to stay on the Alibaba board of directors until the 2020 annual shareholders meeting.
Daniel Zhang joined Alibaba Group in 2007 and was named chief executive officer in May 2015. He serves on Alibaba Group’s board of directors and is chairman of Cainiao Network, a founding member of the Alibaba Partnership and a member of Ant Financial’s investment committee. In this role, Daniel oversaw the operations of all Alibaba Group businesses in China and internationally. Daniel also leads several of Alibaba Group’s strategic investments, including Haier, Intime Retail and Singapore Post.

Daniel first joined the company as chief financial officer of Taobao Marketplace in August 2007. In 2008, he was appointed chief operating officer of Taobao Marketplace and general manager of Taobao Mall. Under Daniel’s leadership, Taobao Mall rapidly became one of Alibaba Group’s most important businesses. When Taobao Mall was rebranded as Tmall and became an independent business unit, Daniel was named president of Tmall. Daniel was the key architect of the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, Alibaba Group’s annual signature event on November 11 and the world’s largest online shopping phenomenon.

Daniel received a Bachelor’s degree in finance from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

In a letter to Alibaba’s customers and shareholders, Ma said the transition “demonstrates that Alibaba has stepped up to the next level of corporate governance from a company that relies on individuals, to one built on systems of organizational excellence and a culture of talent development.”

He added that he plans to continue his role as the founding partner in the Alibaba Partnership, which is a group made up of 36 senior leaders entrusted with the company’s mission, vision and values.

“I also want to return to education, which excites me with so much blessing because this is what I love to do,” he said.

Ma, a former English teacher, co-founded Alibaba in 1999 and is considered one of China’s richest men, with a net worth of $36.6 billion, according to Forbes. Alibaba, based out of Hangzhou, China, started as an e-commerce marketplace and expanded into other business areas, including cloud computing and digital payments through its affiliate Ant Financial. Ma stepped down as chief executive officer in 2013 to dedicate more time to philanthropy through the Jack Ma Foundation.

Last week, a report by The New York Times said that the billionaire was retiring from the company he helped found, and that it would’ve made him the first founder among a generation of prominent Chinese internet entrepreneurs to step down from his company.

On Saturday, the South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba, quoted a spokesman saying the NYT report was factually inaccurate, and taken out of context.

Source: https://www.news18.com/news/world/daniel-zhang-meet-the-man-who-will-replace-billionaire-jack-ma-as-alibaba-boss-1872549.html

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