Alibaba expands European presence
Alibaba Group has announced details of the expansion of its presence in the European market. In an official statement issued today (20 October) outlining the changes, Alibaba said that the London office will expand to serve as the European hub, and the company is also opening a country office in Milan, Italy.
Alibaba added: “Effective immediately, Amee Chande will serve as the managing director of Alibaba Group in the UK and Rodrigo Cipriani Foresio will serve as the managing director of Alibaba Group in Italy.”
Post&Parcel reported on Amee Chande’s appointment as UK MD on Thursday (15 October).
“The establishment of these offices and appointment of these two senior business leaders signifies an important step toward Alibaba’s global ambitions,” said the company. “In the coming months, Alibaba will further expand its physical presence in Europe to include offices in France and Germany.”
“Chinese consumers are looking for quality, authentic international products and global brands. Europe is a logical first step with its diverse range of unique brands and high-quality products” said Michael Evans, president of Alibaba Group. “We are putting in place a strong team of experts in our Italian and U.K. offices that will help European brands, retailers and government partners understand the opportunities in China and work directly with them in local language, in-country, to get their products into the hands of Chinese consumers.”
Amee Chande was previously the Managing Director of NutriCentre, a health and wellness subsidiary of Tesco, and has also held senior roles with Staples, Walmart and McKinsey.
Rodrigo Cipriani Foresio has held a number of senior business positions, including President of Cinecitta Istituto Luce srl, President and CEO of Buonitalia and Advisor to the Ministry of Cultural Heritage.
Both Chande and Cipriani Foresio will report directly to Michael Evans.
