Information and communication technology (ICT) companies are at the forefront of the Chinese central government's push to encourage mass innovation to counter economic downturn. ICT tycoons top China's rich list and have become icons for young prospective entrepreneurs as their success attracts huge capital flows and talent across the country and even the world.
SCMP staff reporters have examined the market and identified five of the most popular CEOs in the industry. Their inclusion is based on their public exposure, influence on Chinese society and governemnt, and public recognition of their company's role in promoting innovation.
Jack Ma Yun, Alibaba
Alibaba's New York public offering, then the largest in history, briefly made the the 51 year old Ma the richest person in China in 2014 with a fortune of more than US$28.7 billion. On 'Single's Day' on November 11, 2014, the world's largest online shopping festival, Alibaba saw its online sales reach 57.1 billion yuan (US$9.19 billion) by midnight. Also in 2014, articles about Ma were the most read by Chinese mobile users, with more than 407 million people perusing news about the e-commerce mogul.
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