John Caplan, head of Aliababa.com’s North American and European operations and its global president/CMO, announced he is leaving the company Friday (March 18).
“After 5 years, I have made the tough decision to leave Alibaba Group,” Caplan wrote on LinkedIn. “It’s been a joyful journey.”
His announcement comes just days after the company said it was looking for a new CEO for its flagship media property the South China Morning Post (SCMP), as chief executive Gary Liu takes on a new project, running Aliababa’s new NFT spinoff.
Learn more: Alibaba Seeks New CEO for SCMP
“Together all of us (from all over the world) with hard-work and even more good fortune, grew Alibaba.com into one of the most global, fastest growing and profitable business units within all of Alibaba Group,” Caplan said in his farewell message.
“We have accomplished what we set out to do. I’m most proud of empowering tens of millions of SMBs and entrepreneurs to do business easily. I look forward to seeing the team take this work from strength to strength.”
Caplan joined the Chinese multinational in 2017 as its chief marketing officer for Alibaba.com, its B2B eCommerce marketplace. Two years later, he was also named president for North American and Europe.
“The age of B2B marketplaces is upon us,” Caplan said in an interview with PYMNTS’ Karen Webster in November of last year.
Read more: Alibaba’s John Caplan: The Age of the B2B Digital Marketplace Is Upon Us
Conducted in the middle of the world’s COVID-inspired supply chain mess, the conversation with Caplan provided a ground-level view of the state of small- to medium-sized business (SMB) in North America, with demand from end consumers high, logistics in a tangle, container ships lined up outside ports and factories, and trucking firms hurting for staff.
“It used to be that these firms would run their businesses in an analog way with ‘a little bit’ of digital,” he said. “But now being fully digital is a strategic imperative for SMBs, whether you’re a buyer or seller of goods to other businesses around the world.”