Jack Ma's successor chosen; Daniel Zhang to lead Alibaba

Beijing, Sep 10: Alibaba founder and billionaire Jack Ma announced recemtly that he would step down as the Chinese e-commerce giant's executive chairman next year. He named the company CEO as his successor.

Ma, 54, will hand over the keys of his company to 46-year-old Daniel Zhang in an unprecedented succession plan that will slowly take the focus off one of China's most recognisable corporate names over the next 12 months, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba, reported.

Zhang will be promoted to the executive chairman on September 10, 2019, while Ma remains a director on Alibaba's board and a permanent member of the Alibaba Partnership, according to a letter written by Ma to all staff including to the Post. Ma said he will remain Alibaba's executive chairman during the year-long period to ensure a "smooth and successful" transition, and stay on as an Alibaba director until a shareholder' meeting in 2020.

"This transition demonstrates that Alibaba has stepped into the next level of corporate governance from a company that relies on individuals, to one built on systems of organisational excellence and a culture of consistent talent development," Ma said in his letter. The succession plan being announced on his birthday on Monday came after confusing reports about Ma's retirement.

The New York Times, which interviewed him, reported on Saturday that Ma planned to use his 54h birthday to announce his retirement to devote his time to philanthropy focused on education. The report of his retirement came as a surprise, especially in the Chinese government circles as the Post report said Ma was relinquishing as China's business environment had soured, with the government and state-owned enterprises increasingly playing more interventionist roles with companies.

The Post report was quickly denied by Alibaba whose spokesman told the Post on Saturday that Ma remains the company's executive chairman and will provide transition plans over a significant period of time.

Ma, who grew from an English teacher to China's top billionaires making Alibaba into USD 420 billion company, always took care to not ruffle feathers of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC). He took care not to project himself bigger than the CPC leadership though he has emerged as modern China's most revered corporate icon. "Alibaba was never about Jack Ma, but Jack Ma will forever belong to Alibaba," Ma said in the letter.

PTI