Former JD.com boss found to be still leading e-commerce giant from London

The founder of the Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, Richard Liu, has been silently leading the company from London despite stepping down as chief executive in 2022.

Liu has spent the last few years leading JD.com from London, apart from some time spent in Dubai, Tokyo and Hong Kong, the Financial Times reported.

The founder, who is also chair of JD.com, stepped down from his role as chief executive in April 2022 and was replaced by Xu Lei, who was then the company’s president.

However, management continued to change, with Lei later stepping down for “personal reasons,” making way for JD.com’s now chief executive Sandy Xu in Beijing.

Sources familiar with the matter also told the paper that the founder remained involved in company management, including the lead of investment strategy, deals and expansion decisions.

JD.com told the Financial Times: “CEO Sandy Xu leads the management team and oversees our daily operations.

“Mr Liu, in his role as chairman, is focused on long-term strategy, and international growth is part of the company’s long-term strategy.

“It is, therefore, entirely appropriate that he and our leadership spend time in different markets outside of China, activating opportunities, building businesses and creating the right teams.”

Earlier this year, JD.com considered bidding to takeover Currys but ultimately did not make an offer.

Reports from earlier this month also suggested it could be eyeing up British parcel delivery company Evri, with the Chinese online retailer joining other potential bidders including Polish parcel locker companies InPost and Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group’s logistics arm, Cainiao.