
Why Skills-First Leadership Is Replacing the Ivy League Playbook in the C-Suite
The old prestige pyramid—where Ivy League degrees and blue-chip consulting backgrounds paved the way to the CEO seat—is cracking.
March 29, 2023: On Tuesday, Alibaba said that it would split its company into six business groups, each able to raise outside funding and making public, in a huge reorganization in the history of the Chinese e-commerce firm.
Its CEO and board of directors will operate each business group. In a statement, Alibaba said the move is “designed to unlock shareholder value and foster business competitiveness.”
Alibaba’s shares increased over 9% in pre-market trade in the U.S.
The move comes following a tough couple of years for Alibaba, which faces slowing economic increasement at home and stricter regulation from Beijing, which employees in billions being wiped off its share price. Alibaba has struggled with development over the previous quarters.
Alibaba is looking to reinvigorate growth with the reorganization.
The exception is the Taobao Tmall Commerce Group, remaining owned by Alibaba.
Around $600 billion has been wiped out since Alibaba’s share price peak in October 2020. Since then, the Chinese administration has cracked down on private technology businesses, which introduce a slew of regulations and increasing scrutiny on the practices of domestic giants.
Alibaba’s fintech affiliate Ant Group is forcing by regulators to cancel its mega-public listing in November 2020. And in 2021, Alibaba was charged $2.6 billion as part of an antitrust probe.
Alibaba is looking to reinvigorate development. The company has grown into a giant encompassing businesses from e-commerce to the cloud, which computes to streaming and logistics.
The company witnesses the creation of the six businesses as a way to be nimbler.
“This transformation has empowered all our businesses to become more agile, enhance decision-making, and enable faster responses to market changes,” Zhang stated.
The reorganization also comes when there are signs that Beijing is warming again to technology firms. The administration seeks to revive economic development in the world’s second-significant economy.
The old prestige pyramid—where Ivy League degrees and blue-chip consulting backgrounds paved the way to the CEO seat—is cracking.
Loud leaders once ruled the boardroom. Charisma was currency. Big talk drove big valuations.
But the CEOs who make history in downturns aren’t the ones with the deepest cuts
Companies invest millions in leadership development, yet many of their best executives leave within a few years. Why?
The most successful business leaders don’t just identify gaps in the market; they anticipate future needs before anyone else.
With technological advancements, shifting consumer expectations, and global interconnectedness, the role of business leaders
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The old prestige pyramid—where Ivy League degrees and blue-chip consulting backgrounds paved the way to the CEO seat—is cracking.
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