Jack Ma

Jack Ma was a Chinese business magnate, investor and philanthropist, best known as the co-founder of the Alibaba Group, a multinational technology conglomerate. Born on September 10, 1964, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Ma grew up in modest family and developed an interest of learning English at a young age.

Educational background
Ma’s educational background was in English and he graduated from Hangzhou Normal University in 1988, with a Bachelor of Arts degree. After graduation he became an English lecturer at Hangzhou Dianzi University. However, his true passion lies in Entrepreneurship, and he started his first company, Hangzhou Haibo Translational Agency, in 1994.

Alibaba group
Ma’s big break came in 1999 when he co-founded Alibaba group with 18 friends. The company started as a business-to-business marketplace site and quickly expanded into various sectors, including e-commerce, online payment systems and cloud computing. Under Ma’s leadership, Alibaba became one of the largest and most successful technology companies in China.

Entrepreneurial achievements
Throughout his career, Ma has received numerous awards and recognition for his entrepreneurial achievements. He was named one of the “Top 10 Economic personalities of the Year” by China Central Television (CCTV) in 2004 and was selected as a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum, in 2005.

Philanthropic effort
In addition to his business ventures, Ma is also known for his philanthropic efforts. He has been involved in various charitable initiatives, including education and environmental conservation. In 2019, Forbes magazine named Ma one of “Asia’s 2019 Heroes of Philanthropy”.

Ma’s today
Today Ma is one the wealthiest individual in China with a net worth of over $25 billion. He has step down as the executive chairman of Alibaba Group but remain involved in various business and philanthropic endeavors.