Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang relinquishes corporate role at Taobao, Tmall as part of e-commerce giant’s management reshuffle

Trudy Dai Shan, one of Alibaba’s founding members in 1999, has succeeded Zhang as legal representative of the corporate entities behind Taobao and Tmall

Dai, who has worked across multiple business segments in Alibaba, currently serves as the firm’s president of core domestic e-commerce

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Daniel Zhang Yong, Alibaba Group Holding’s chairman and chief executive, earlier in January stepped down from the board of directors of Weibo, days after he left the board of Didi Chuxing. Photo: Handout

Published: 7:00pm, 25 Apr 2022Updated: 8:15pm, 25 Apr 2022

Alibaba Group Holding chairman and chief executive Daniel Zhang Yong has relinquished his role as legal representative of the corporate entities behind Taobao Marketplace and Tmall, following the biggest ever management reshuffle initiated by China’s leading e-commerce company last December.

Trudy Dai Shan, one of Alibaba’s founding members in 1999 and a company partner, has succeeded Zhang as legal representative at both Taobao Software Co and Zhejiang Tmall Technology Co, where she also serves as chairwoman and general manager, according to data from Chinese corporate registry tracking firm Tianyancha.

Dai, who has worked across multiple business segments in Alibaba, last December was appointed to head Alibaba’s China digital commerce unit, which combines the company’s consumer-facing and wholesale online marketplaces. In January, she started her first major initiative in that role by reorganising the back-end operations of Taobao and Tmall.

Alibaba, which owns the South China Morning Post, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

Trudy Dai Shan serves as president of core domestic e-commerce at Alibaba Group Holding. Photo: Handout

Jiang Fan, the retail wunderkind who now heads Alibaba’s overseas e-commerce operations, has also stepped aside as legal representative, chairman and general manager of Zhejiang Taobao Network Co and Zhejiang Tmall Network Co from this month, according to Chinese corporate registry records.

The latest moves under Alibaba’s sweeping management reshuffle come as the company navigates a tightened regulatory environment amid Beijing’s crackdown on the technology sector.