Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba announced that it has appointed Jonathan Lu the new chief executive officer of Alibaba Group, effective May 10, 2013.
By then, Jack Ma will resign his position as chief executive officer of Alibaba Group and focus on the chairman of board of directors work.
Prior to this appointment, Lu was chief data officer of Alibaba Group and he was also responsible for the cloud operating system business unit. Lu joined Alibaba in 2000 when he was responsible for the establishment of the Guangdong sales region. In 2003, he was transferred to Hangzhou, commanding Alipay.com business and he was president for Alipay.com in 2004. In 2008, Lu was appointed president for Taobao.com. In this position, he launched the greater Taobao strategy to improve consumer experiences while implementing the open strategy to better serve consumers. Under his leadership, Taobao.com enhanced its leading position in the Chinese e-commerce sector.
Commenting on the appointment of Lu, Ma said it is challenging and difficult to be CEO of Alibaba Group, especially when the position is taken from a founder CEO. Lu will face various responsibilities and pressures. Therefore, he would like to thank Lu for his huge sacrifice and commitment.