Jack Ma: Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Jack Ma and his team of 18 founders created Alibaba.com in Hangzhou, China in March of 1999. Since that time, Alibaba.com has grown to become China's largest e-commerce company.

In 1995, Ma founded China Pages, widely regarded to be China's first Internet-based company. Ma then accepted an invitation from China's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC) to head the information department of the China International Electronic Commerce Center (CIECC). He left MOFTEC in early 1999 to launch Alibaba.com.

Ma has been featured in leading international media and was chosen by the World Economic Forum as a "Young Global Leader." Last year, he was selected by China Central Television (CCTV) and its viewers as one of the "Top 10 Business Leaders of the Year."

Ma graduated from Hangzhou Teacher's Institute in 1988 with a B.A. in English and began his career as an English teacher.

(Source: Alibaba.com)