Meet Daniel Zhang, Alibaba Group’s New Chief Executive Officer

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Meet Daniel Zhang, Alibaba Group’s New Chief Executive Officer



Along with its quarterly earnings report today, Alibaba Group announced that its Chief Operating Officer Daniel Zhang has been named CEO of the Chinese e-commerce leviathan. The company released Zhang’s bio, which you can read below:

Daniel Zhang joined Alibaba Group in 2007 and was recently named chief executive officer. He serves on Alibaba Group’s board of directors and is a founding member of the Alibaba Partnership.

Over the past eight years, Daniel has held top management positions across the organization, most recently serving as chief operating officer.

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’s most important businesses and was highly recognized by consumers and brands in China and around the world. In 2011, he was named president when it first became an independent business unit, Tmall.com, which has become one of world’s largest online B2C platforms. Daniel was also a key architect of the November 11 Shopping Festival, and led it to become the world’s largest online shopping event.

Daniel_New (1)In his role as chief operating officer, which he has held since September 2013, Daniel oversaw the operations of all Alibaba Group businesses in China and internationally. He led the company’s ongoing transition to mobile; built China Smart Logistics, Alibaba’s comprehensive global logistics network; and launched Tmall Global, Alibaba’s platform that enables Chinese consumers to buy international branded products from around the world. As part of the transition to mobile, Taobao’s mobile app has become world’s largest mobile shopping platform. Daniel also led Alibaba Group’s several strategic investments, including Alibaba Health, Haier, Intime Retail and Singapore Post.

Daniel serves on the boards of several other public companies listed in both the U.S. and Hong Kong, including Alibaba Health, Haier, Intime Retail Group and Weibo.

Before joining Alibaba Group, Daniel served as chief financial officer of Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited, a NASDAQ-listed online game developer and operator, from 2005 to 2007. From 2002 to 2005, he was senior manager of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Audit and Business Advisory Division based in Shanghai. Prior to that, he worked in the Shanghai office of Arthur Andersen for seven years.

Daniel received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. He is a member of the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

 

Alibaba CEODaniel Zhang
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