Meet Daniel Zhang, the ‘free and unfettered spirit’ who will succeed Jack Ma as Alibaba’s chairman
The succession plan comes as Ma, who co-founded Alibaba together with 17 others and has for years been the face of the company, looks to distance himself from daily operations
Among the 86,000 employees who work at Alibaba Group Holding, chief executive Daniel Zhang Yong is not known as Daniel, or Mr Zhang, or even boss.
Instead, employees refer to him as xiaoyaozi, or the “free and unfettered one”. The nom de guerre, after a character from a Louis Cha wuxia novel, has appeared on his business card, Chinese company press statements and in Alibaba’s literature.
Zhang will soon have larger shoes to fill. On Monday, Alibaba executive chairman Jack Ma Yun announced a succession plan for the company, with a transition period of one year, at the end of which Ma will step down from his role and hand the reins over to Zhang.
Since Zhang was named chief executive in May 2015, “Alibaba has seen consistent and sustainable growth for 13 consecutive quarters”, Ma said in a letter to staff, including the South China Morning Post, which is owned by the Hangzhou-based company. “His analytical mind is unparalleled, he holds dear our mission and vision, he embraces responsibility with passion, and he has the guts to innovate and test creative business models.”
The succession plan comes as Ma, who co-founded Alibaba together with 17 others and has for years been the face of the company, looks to distance himself from company operations as he shifts focus to teaching, education and philanthropy. Ma will remain the executive chairman for the next 12 months to ensure a smooth and orderly transition.