April seems like a short time ago but a lot has happened since at Alibaba Group: Daniel Zhang has become CEO, a move that has helped to lift New York-traded shares in China’s biggest e-commerce leader by a sixth since the change announced on May 7. Not a bad start, unless you’re a short.
Because Alibaba’s billionaire chairman Jack Ma had long held the media spotlight at the company, much less is known about Zhang. Filling some of that void, the Chinese-language edition of Harper’s Bazaar Men’s Business last month published a cover feature of Zhang, mostly smiling as he posed in various luxury garb including Gucci suits and Hugo Boss scarves. (The cover and one of the inside pages are below.) He was still Alibaba’s COO when the photos were taken.
In China’s current Maoism-tilting Xi Jinping era, it’s somehow a pleasure to see a business heavy enjoy a chuckle while flaunting some nice and pricey Western threads. Way to go!
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