JackMaisfounder,chairmanandchiefexecutiveofficerofAlibabaGroupandchairmanofAlibaba.com,theHongKong-listedunitofAlibabaGroup.
Earlylife
MawasborninthecityofHangzhou,ZhejiangProvince,China.MaattendedHangzhouTeachersCollegeandgraduatedin1988withabachelor'sdegreeinEnglish.Mainitiallyfailedtheentranceexamtwice.Whileattheschool,Mawaselectedstudentchairman.HelaterbecamealecturerinEnglishandInternationalTradeattheHangzhouDianziUniversity.MafirststartedbuildingwebsitesforChinesecompanieswiththehelpoffriendsintheUS.Mahascommentedthat"ThedaywegotconnectedtotheWeb,IinvitedfriendsandTVpeopleovertomyhouse,"andonaveryslowdial-upconnection,"wewaitedthreeandahalfhoursandgothalfapage....Wedrank,watchedTVandplayedcards,waiting.ButIwassoproud.Iproved(tomyhousegueststhat)theInternetexisted“
Career
In1995,MafoundedChinaPages,widelybelievedtobeChina’sfirstInternet-basedcompany.From1998to1999,MaheadedaninformationtechnologycompanyestablishedbytheChinaInternationalElectronicCommerceCenter,adepartmentofMinistryofForeignTradeandEconomicCooperation.HefoundedAlibaba.comin1999,aChina-basedbusiness-to-businessmarketplacesitewhichservesmorethan65millionmembersfrommorethan240countriesandterritories.ManowservesaschairmanandCEOofAlibabaGroup,whichisaholdingcompanywithfourmajorsubsidiaries–Alibaba.com,Taobao,AlibabaCloudComputingandChinaYahoo!.
AccomplishmentsIn
2001,MawasselectedbytheWorldEconomicForumasa“YoungGlobalLeader”.In2004,hewaschosenbyChinaCentralTelevisionanditsviewersasoneofthe“Top10BusinessLeadersoftheYear”.
In2005,Mawasnamedoneofthe“25MostPowerfulBusinesspeopleinAsia”byFortune.HewasselectedbyBusinessweekasa“BusinesspersonoftheYear”in2007andoneofthe30“World’sBestCEOs”byBarron’sin2008.
InMay2009,MawashonoredbyTimemagazinewithinclusionintotheTime100listoftheworld’s100mostinfluentialpeople.InreportingMr.Ma’saccomplishments,AdiIgnatius,formerTimesenioreditorandeditor-in-chiefoftheHarvardBusinessReview,said,“MeetingJackMa,youmightbeforgivenforthinkinghe'sstillanEnglishteacher.TheChineseInternetentrepreneurissoft-spokenandelflike—andhespeaksreallygoodEnglish.ButasfounderandCEOofAlibaba.com,Ma,44,runsoneoftheworld'sbiggestB2Bonlinemarketplaces,aneBayforcompaniesdoinginternationaltrade.AlibabaandMa'sconsumer-auctionwebsite,Taobao.com,didsowellthatin2006,eBayshutdownitsownsiteinChina.”Hewasalsochosenasoneof"China'sMostPowerfulPeople"byBusinessWeek,andoneofthe“Top10MostRespectedEntrepreneursinChina”byForbesChinain2009.Mareceivedthe“2009CCTVEconomicPersonoftheYear:BusinessLeadersoftheDecadeAward”.
In2010,MawasselectedbyForbesAsiaasoneof“Asia’sHeroesofPhilanthropy”forhiscontributiontodisasterreliefandpoverty.
In2011itwasannouncedthatoneofhiscompanieshadgainedcontrolofYahoo'sstakeChineselawgoverningpaymentcompaniesinordertosecurealicensetocontinueoperatingAlipay.
AmongMa’saccomplishments:•HewasthefirstmajorworldbusinessleadertopredicttheeconomicdownturninamemotostaffinJuly2008,whichwassubsequentlymadepublic•HealongwithAlibaba.com’smanagementteamproactivelytookdecisiveactionstosteerhiscompanythroughacrashinChinaexportssuchasreducingpricesforexportsuppliercustomers;actingasamiddlemantoconnectsmallandmediumsizedcompanieswithlenders•HeledthecreationofemploymentopportunitiesworldwideontheAlibaba.comandTaobaoplatforms,aswellasforgedaheadin2009withthehiringof5,000newemployeesglobally•Hehasbuiltareputationforhavingworld-classvisionintermsofhowAlibabaGroupbusinessesareoperated,includinganadherencetoavision,valuesandmission-basedcultureaswellastherequirementthateachofAlibabaGroup’sfivebusinessunitsmustincorporatecorporatesocialresponsibilityintotheirbusinessmodels.
MaisaboardmemberofJapan’sSoftBankandChina’sHuayiBrothersMediaCorporation.HebecameatrusteeofTheNatureConservancy’sChinaprogramin2009andjoineditsglobalboardofdirectorsinApril2010.MaisthefirstChinesecitizentoserveonTheNatureConservancy’sboard.
Views
OnNovember6,2007,atapressconferenceattheRitz-CarltonHotelinHongKong,calledtodiscussthehighlysuccessfulHongKongStockExchangeIPO,whenaskedwhetherAlibaba.comwasanethicaltradingcompany,Marespondedbyannouncingtotheassembledjournalists-andreiteratingwhenqueried-thatheandhisfamilyhave"swornoffSharkFinSoupnowandforever"(echoingelitebasketballerYaoMing'sfamousdeclaration,whichangeredGuangzhou'sfintraders),whichhesaidwasaresultoffindingoutwhattheproblemsare.InJanuary2009,AlibabaGroupreviseditslistingpolicyandbannedthesaleofsharkfinproductsonallofitse-commerceplatforms.
AttheAlibaba.comAnnualShareholdersMeetinginMay2009,Ma,whoischairmanandnon-executivedirectorofthepubliclytradedarmofthegroup,encouragedthoseinattendance,includingshareholders,customersandstudentsfromtwoHongKonguniversities,totakemattersintotheirownhandsandtakeactionintheformofstartingbusinessestocopewiththeeconomicdownturnratherthanwaitingforgovernmentorbusinesstohelpthem.Heremindedeveryonethatthegreatfortunesoftheworldweremadebypeoplewhosawopportunitiesthatothersdidn't,andhenotedthattheaftermathoftherecentglobalrecessionwouldbenodifferentintermsofexposingnewwaysofdoingbusiness.
AttheannualgeneralmeetingofshareholdersforAlibaba.cominMay2010,MaannouncedAlibabaGroupwillbeginin2010toearmark0.3percentofannualrevenuetoenvironmentalprotection,particularlyonwaterandairqualityimprovementprojects.
