When the energetic chairman steps down in September 2019 his successor will be the more sober Daniel Zhang, Alibaba’s current chief executive.  Mr Zhang, 46, has gradually risen up the ranks since he joined Alibaba in 2007 as chief financial officer of Taobao Marketplace, its online ecommerce platform. He is perhaps best known for his stewardship of Singles Day, an Alibaba innovation that transformed November 11 into the biggest shopping bonanza on the planet. He has also relished the attention of being a global superstar. In a demonstration to the world of how highly he regards himself, last year he cast himself in a short movie beating up Kung Fu stars.

https://www.ft.com/content/8dddd514-b5c4-11e8-bbc3-ccd7de085ffe