Michael Evans appointed President of Alibaba Group
Michael Evans has been appointed as the President of Alibaba Group, with immediate effect. Evans has served as independent director since Alibaba’s initial public offering (IPO) in September 2014.
In an official statement published yesterday (4 August), Alibaba said that Evans’ appointment highlights the group’s strong commitment to globalizing its business.
Commented on the new appointment, Alibaba’s CEO Daniel Zhang said: “Michael has been a close advisor to Alibaba Group for many years, and we greatly value his deep knowledge of our business, his experience as a proven business builder and leader globally, and his more than 20 years of experience in China.
“Globalization is Alibaba Group’s most important strategy for the coming decades, and our goal is to help 10 million global businesses and serve 2 billion consumers around the world. We have been laying the foundation for many years and now we need a global team in place with best-in-class talent to bring our vision to fruition. To that end, I can think of no one better than Michael to help Alibaba become a truly global company.”
Alibaba said that Evans’ early focus will be on forging close partnerships with key brands, retailers and product owners in Europe, the Americas and Asia to help them connect to China’s consumer market.
“I am honored to be joining Alibaba and excited by the opportunity to lead Alibaba’s international growth strategy. I look forward to joining Daniel’s management team and working with a terrific group of people with whom I’ve developed strong relationships,” said Evans.
Alibaba Group Executive Chairman Jack Ma commented: “As we connect Alibaba and the rest of the world, we are turning to a proven international leader who has been connecting China and the rest of the world for most of his career. Through his work on our board, he has built the trust and respect of our management team, and I have no doubt that he will make a significant contribution to our business.”
Prior to joining Alibaba, Evans spent 30 years in global finance, including the last 20 years as a Partner of Goldman Sachs, where he served as Vice Chairman, head of Global Growth Markets, and Chairman of Asia, in addition to leadership positions in the Securities and Investment Banking Divisions. Outside of the boardroom, he has also been a very successful sportsman. He won an Olympic gold medal for his home country Canada as a member of the men’s eights rowing team in the Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics.
