Lazada names Li Chun as new CEO; third change since 2018

ALIBABA-OWNED e-commerce platform Lazada has appointed Li Chun as its new group chief executive (CEO), marking the third time the South-east Asian firm has changed its chief executive since 2018.

Mr Li is replacing Lazada veteran Pierre Poignant, who was appointed as group chief executive in December 2018. Mr Poignant had in turn replaced Lucy Peng, a co-founder of Alibaba, who stepped down as Lazada's CEO after nine months on the job and became the company's executive chairman.

With the latest leadership change, Mr Poignant will now be redesignated as special assistant to Alibaba's chairman and chief executive Daniel Zhang.

The new head honcho Mr Li is a longtime employee of Alibaba, having joined the company in 2014 as chief technology officer of the business-to-business unit. Mr Li was later appointed co-president of Lazada in June 2017, and subsequently named chief executive of Lazada Indonesia in July last year.

With his experience in product strategy, Mr Li will focus on strengthening Lazada's position in its six regional operating markets, the company said in a press statement.

"Chun is an experienced business leader who can realise Lazada's vision of unifying commerce with technology to advance South-east Asia's digital economy," Ms Peng said in the statement, while thanking Mr Poignant for his contributions as a founding member of the firm.

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Mr Li added: "There is incredible momentum for e-commerce across the region, and together with our strong local talents, we will step up Lazada's digital innovation and commercial development to empower our customers to be successful and provide the best user experience for our consumers."

Lazada said that it has served over 70 million unique customers in the year ended March 2020, with its orders in Indonesia growing by over 170 per cent compared to the previous year. The company also cited development of local talent as a top priority.