Lazada, Alibaba’s Southeast Asian arm, appointed James Dong as chief executive officer on Friday as the Chinese e-commerce giant seeks to expand abroad in the face of tight competition at home.
Dong joined Lazada in 2018 to lead its Thailand and Vietnam businesses. He was previously the head of globalization strategy and corporate development at Alibaba.
In April, Reuters reported that Alibaba plans to expand Lazada to Europe and Dong would help spearhead the initiative.
Dong succeeds Chun Li, who took over the role in 2020.
Li will continue to serve as advisor to Lazada Group Chairman Jiang Fan and stay on the company’s board, according to a company statement.
Reuters