(Yicai) Aug. 1 -- Daniel Zhang, a managing partner at private equity firm Firstlight Capital and former chairman of Alibaba Group Holding, has been appointed to the Hong Kong Stock Exchanges’s advisory panel on the Chinese mainland market.

Zhang will be the panel’s ninth member, the stock exchange’s operator said today. Formed in 2021, the panel is chaired by Zhang Yichen, chairman and chief executive officer of Citic Capital Holdings, and comprises senior industry leaders with in-depth China market knowledge.

HKEX Chairman Carlson Tong said Zhang will “provide invaluable support to the HKEX board as we continue to deliver on our strategic imperatives of building on our China strength.”

Zhang, 53, stepped down as Alibaba’s chairman and CEO in September 2023 after 18 years at the Hangzhou-based internet giant. He rose to the ranks of CEO in 2015 and chairman in 2019, succeeding founder Jack Ma. He joined Firstlight Capital in March last year.

The HKEX was the leading global venue for initial public offerings in the first half, thanks to listings by major mainland companies such as Contemporary Amperex Technology. The bourse completed 43 IPOs in the period, helping firms raise HKD106.7 billion (USD13.6 billion), eight times the amount a year ago.

The other members of the advisory panel are HKEX’s Tong and CEO Bonnie Chan, Laura Cha, former HKEX chairwoman, Fred Hu, chairman of Primavera Capital, Huang Yiping, dean of the National School of Development and director of the Institute of Digital Finance of the Peking University, Ma Weihua, former president and CEO of China Merchants Bank, Chang Sun, partner and chairman of TPG China.

Editor: Kim Taylor