JD.com brings back retired Yan Xiaobing to run retail arm

Retiring from JD.com in 2022, Yan Xiaobing - former Head of JD.com International - joined the retailer in 2012 as General Manager of the Household Appliances Division. Following JD.com’s plans to restructure its management team and establishment of an ‘innovative retail unit’, the retailer has brought back the veteran to lead the new unit. 

What is driving these in-house changes?

Tackling a weak economy, prices wars, and a competitive market, JD.com’s ‘innovative retail unit’ plans will see the company house its grocery store business - 7Fresh - and its group-buying unit - Pinpin - under one roof.  Exploring innovative retail models, the new business unit forms part of JD.com’s ambitious 20-year blueprint. 

Both its management reshuffle and business structure changes follow announcements made by its biggest ecommerce rival in China - Alibaba. The ecommerce company has split its operations into six separate business units - one of the company’s biggest restructurings in its history - and has recently appointed a new CEO, Eddie Wu.

One of the business units will include a ‘local service group’ encompassing its food delivery and grocery businesses. For both Alibaba and JD.com establishing a grocery business unit is part of a broader strategy to expand beyond traditional ecommerce and remain competitive in the Chineese market. 

Who is taking over as JD.com CEO, replacing Lei Xu?

Announced in May, 2023, Lei Xu will be retiring from his position as CEO and Executive Director of JD.com due to personal reasons. For more than a decade, Xu has been with JD.com holding various senior roles, making a significant contribution to the company’s development. While he is stepping down from these two roles, he will remain serving as the first chairman of the advisory council and continue to participate in high-quality development for the company.

Replacing Xu as CEO, Sandy Ran Xu, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) will be taking the reins. Joining JJD.com in 2018, Xu oversaw the group’s finance, account, and tax functions in addition to serving as CFO. Prior to JD.com she was an audit partner at PwC for almost 20 years, she also served as a director of JD Technology.

Xu received her bachelor’s degree from Peking University with a double major in information science and economics.