The Chinese e-commerce group JD.com has a new boss. On Thursday, the company announced that Lei Xu had been appointed CEO, effective immediately. He succeeded Richard Liu, who founded the retailer in 2004 and has since led it. After stepping down as CEO, Liu will remain chairman of the group and will focus on “long-term strategies and the development of younger leaders,” JD.com said. He also wanted to be involved in “reviving rural areas”.
The company found an internal successor for the founder in Lei Xu. Xu has been with the company for over a decade and most recently served as President of JD.com. Before that, he had already held numerous management positions in various divisions of the group of companies. His past tenures include CEO of JD Retail, Chief Marketing Officer of JD.com, and Head of JD Wireless. In his various functions, Xu was instrumental in setting the strategic course and operational innovations, the company explained.