Summary
·
The appointment
comes weeks after the billionaire made a rare public appearance in China
following his fall from grace during a government crackdown on the tech
industry over two years ago
Hong Kong. Jack Ma, founder of Chinese tech giant Alibaba, has been made an honorary professor of
business at a top Hong Kong university, the school announced Friday.The appointment comes weeks after
the billionaire made a rare public appearance in China following his fall from
grace during a government crackdown on the tech industry over two years ago.
Ma has kept a low profile since late
2020, when a speech he made attacking Chinese regulators was followed by
Beijing pulling the plug on a planned IPO by Alibaba affiliate Ant Group
A record fine of $2.75 billion was
later imposed on Alibaba for alleged unfair business practices.
The University of Hong Kong on
Friday said Ma had accepted an honorary professorship from its business school.
A spokesperson for the institution
said it welcomed Ma sharing "his rich knowledge and experience in business
innovation and development".
The professorship carries a
three-year term ending in March 2026, according to local media.
The school's website now contains a
profile of Ma highlighting his expertise in "management and
strategy".
In 2018 the same university awarded
Ma an honorary doctorate.
However, Ma has "no plans for
public lectures or speeches", according to the South China Morning Post, a
Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper wholly owned by Alibaba.
The Jack Ma Foundation, a charitable
organisation set up by the billionaire in 2014, told the Post that "after
a hiatus from the world of education, Mr Ma looks forward to returning to
campus life".
Ma previously taught English for
eight years at Hangzhou Dianzi University in the eastern Chinese province of
Zhejiang before he launched Alibaba.
He also founded in 2015 a centre for
entrepreneurship in Zhejiang along with several Chinese business heavyweights.
That institution was originally
called Hupan University but had the term "university" removed from
its name in 2021 amid Ma's spat with Chinese authorities.
Ma has been spotted in a number of
locations around the world over the past two years, including on the Spanish
island of Mallorca, and was reportedly living in Japan for much of 2022.
No comments :
Post a Comment