A Former Accountant Might Be Just What Alibaba Needs in a CEO

Billionaire Jack Ma, chairman of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., fourth from right, stands with Daniel Zhang, third from left, and Jonathan Lu, fourth from left, in front of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 2014. — Billionaire Jack Ma, chairman of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., fourth from right, stands with Daniel Zhang, third from left, and Jonathan Lu, fourth from left, in front of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 2014.
Photographer: Scott Eells/Bloomberg

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By Leslie Picker

May 7, 2015 at 12:58 PM UTC

Updated on

May 7, 2015 at 9:41 PM UTC

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Jack Ma admitted to once saying: “There’s nothing to fear but a CFO pretending to be a CEO.”

A CFO in charge may be just what Alibaba Group needs.