What’s new: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. co-founder Jack Ma has been appointed an honorary professor at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), the latest development for the English teacher-turned entrepreneur who has vowed to devote himself to education, agriculture and other causes since his 2019 retirement as chairman from the e-commerce giant he co-founded in 1999.
Ma is now an honorary professor in management and strategy at the HKU Business School, according to the faculty’s website.
He will focus on conducting research in finance, agriculture and entrepreneurial innovations with the HKU faculty, South China Morning Post reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
“The University of Hong Kong would like to thank Dr. Ma for accepting the invitation to be an honorary professor at the HKU Business School,” a university spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Caixin. “HKU welcomes him to participate in teaching and research, and to share his rich knowledge and experience in enterprise innovation and development with teachers and students.”
The background: The billionaire’s appointment follows his recent tour of a private school in Alibaba’s hometown Hangzhou, during which Ma discussed the challenges and opportunities that ChatGPT and artificial intelligence technology could bring to education with the school’s senior staff.
Ma graduated from Hangzhou Normal University with a degree in English education. He has been awarded honorary doctorates by several universities, including HKU, Tel Aviv University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, National Taiwan Normal University and De La Salle University, according to HKU’s website.
Related: Cover Story: Where to Now for Alibaba in the Post-Jack Ma Era?
Contact reporter Ding Yi (yiding@caixin.com) and editor Bertrand Teo (bertrandteo@caixin.com)
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