Alibaba bets on retailing chief Jiang Fan to bolster e-commerce momentum

Alibaba Group Holding is looking to build momentum in China and overseas e-commerce markets on the back of a sweeping reorganisation that has put retailing wunderkind Jiang Fan at the helm of its core business, according to analysts.

Jiang, 39, who has been serving as chief executive of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group (AIDC), was appointed by the Hangzhou-based tech conglomerate on Thursday to lead the newly formed Alibaba E-commerce Business Group.

The new unit will integrate Taobao and Tmall Group (TTG), AIDC, 1688 Marketplace, Idle Fish and the other e-commerce operations of Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post.

Jiang’s promotion reflects Alibaba chief executive Eddie Wu Yongming’s broader strategy to position more millennials – typically defined as those born from 1981 to 1996 – in key roles to fend off fierce competition from younger rivals such as PDD Holdings, owner of popular discount-shopping platforms Pinduoduo and Temu.

The appointment marks another major step up the ranks for Jiang at Alibaba, where he has cemented his status as an heir apparent, more than a year after he was reinstated as member of the company’s partnership – a supreme corporate governance body with the right to nominate directors.

Once a small proportion of Alibaba’s business empire, AIDC under Jiang has become a major revenue-generating operation, as it covers diverse cross-border e-commerce platforms such as AliExpress, Lazada and Trendyol. In the recent September quarter, this unit’s revenue surged 29 per cent year on year to 31.7 billion yuan (US$4.4 billion).