A top Alibaba executive and one-time contender to take charge of the ecommerce giant was demoted on Monday after a personal scandal erupted involving his wife and an internet celebrity who sells goods on its platforms.
Jiang Fan, the 34-year-old president of Alibaba’s key Tmall and Taobao ecommerce units, “improperly handled his family problems, triggering a serious public relations crisis which harmed the company’s reputation”, a company investigation concluded, according to an internal notice seen by the Financial Times.
Alibaba stripped Mr Jiang of his place among the company’s 38 partners, who lead the company, set its culture and vote on the make-up of the majority of its board. The company also voided his bonuses and lowered his rank from the equivalent of a senior vice-president to a vice-president.