Photo credit: Alibaba Group

Alibaba Group’s Southeast Asian e-commerce platform Lazada named James Dong as chief executive officer last week.

Dong joined Lazada in 2018 and served as country CEO in Thailand and Vietnam. He will continue in his capacity as head of Lazada Thailand and will also step into the chief executive role at Lazada Indonesia.

“[James is] a well-liked leader among locals, passionately sharing his knowledge to cultivate a strong local bench force,” a Lazada spokesperson said in a statement.

Founded in 2012 and acquired by Alibaba in 2016, Lazada is Southeast Asia’s leading e-commerce platform with end-to-end logistics capabilities and fulfillment centers in cities across the region.

Dong will be based at the company’s recently launched regional headquarters in Singapore called Lazada One.

Outgoing head Chun Li, who helmed the online shopping company from 2020, will continue to serve as a board member and advisor to Lazada Group Chairman Jiang Fan.

“We thank Chun for his invaluable contribution to Lazada and wish him well. Chun’s wisdom and humility as a respected leader is what Lazadians will miss most,” the company spokesperson added.

Dong’s position as chief executive at Lazada Vietnam has been filled by Kaya Qin, who previously served as the company’s chief operating officer.