The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Jessica Liu, president of Lazada Group, is leaving the Southeast Asian online shopping unit of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
She is departing Lazada to spend more time with her family, the company said, confirming an earlier report by Bloomberg News.
Liu has been a key member of Lazada’s leadership team and also served as head of LazMall, the fast-growing marketplace for international and local brands within the Lazada platform. Earlier this year, she took on an additional role of chief executive officer of Thailand, becoming the company’s first female country head.
“Under her leadership, LazMall has grown to become one of the largest online virtual malls in Southeast Asia,” Lazada said in a statement. “We want to thank Jessica for this and her many other contributions, and wish her well as she takes some time off to focus on her family.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Lazada has gone through frequent management shuffles since it was acquired by Alibaba. The company appointed Chun Li as group CEO in July, and Lazada has since been investing in technology and logistics and recording triple-digit year-on-year order growth. Revenue from Alibaba’s international commerce retail business climbed 42 percent to $5.26 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, led by Lazada and Trendyol.
Liu joined Lazada in 2020 from Alibaba, where she was general manager of Tmall Fashion and Luxury. Under her leadership, Tmall became China’s largest fashion business-to-consumer online platform. Nine-year-old Lazada operates in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
In February, KrAsia reported that Alibaba denied speculation Liu was leaving Lazada to join the e-commerce division of short-video app Douyin, owned by ByteDance Ltd.
By Yoolim Lee
This week’s round-up of global markets fashion business news also features Latin American mall giants, Nigerian craft entrepreneurs and the mixed picture of China’s luxury market.
Resourceful leaders are turning to creative contingency plans in the face of a national energy crisis, crumbling infrastructure, economic stagnation and social unrest.
This week’s round-up of global markets fashion business news also features the China Duty Free Group, Uniqlo’s Japanese owner and a pan-African e-commerce platform in Côte d’Ivoire.
Affluent members of the Indian diaspora are underserved by fashion retailers, but dedicated e-commerce sites are not a silver bullet for Indian designers aiming to reach them.