Alibaba founder Jack Ma has become an honorary professor of business at a Hong Kong university, the university said on Friday.
This comes as the entrepreneur makes a rare public appearance in China following his fall from popularity as a result of the government’s crackdown on the tech industry.
Ma has kept a quiet profile since late 2020, when a speech he gave criticising Chinese regulators was followed by Beijing cancelling an IPO by Ant Group, an Alibaba affiliate.
A record $2.75 billion fine was also issued to Chinese tech giant Alibaba for suspected unfair commercial practises.
According to the University of Hong Kong’s business school, the billionaire accepted an honorary professorship.
As per the spokeswoman for the university, Ma is invited to share “his rich knowledge and experience in business innovation and development.”
According to local media, the professorship’s three-year term will finish in March 2026.
Ma’s profile on the school’s website now highlights his experience in “management and strategy.”
Ma received an honorary doctorate from the same university in 2018. However, according to the South China Morning Post, an English-language daily controlled entirely by Alibaba, Ma appears to have “no plans for public lectures or speeches.”
According to the Hong Kong-based Post, the entrepreneur established the Jack Ma Foundation in 2014.
Ma taught English for eight years at Hangzhou Dianzi University in Zhejiang before joining Chinese tech giant Alibaba. Ma also established a centre for entrepreneurship in Zhejiang in 2015.
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