Alibaba’s chairman Jack Ma announces succession plan

10 September: Chinese online retailing giant Alibaba announced that founder Jack Ma will step down as chairman in 10 September 2019, and will be succeeded by current Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang. Ma will stay on in the role of executive chairman for the next 12 months. The company published a letter from Ma addressed to customers and shareholders. According to him, the transition “demonstrates that Alibaba has stepped up to the next level of corporate governance from a company that relies on individuals, to one built on systems of organizational excellence and a culture of talent development.”