Alibaba eyes more global talents

"The internet wave started out from the consumer end and is penetrating step-by-step into retail and then manufacturing," said You Wuyang, head of the supply chain research center at Alibaba.

"That's why our business-to-business units are racing to digitalize and globalize their services, and that is also why there is a dire need for internationalized skilled workers for the traditionally domestic-facing businesses," he said.

The same logic is applied at Alibaba's LST, a unit designed to reinvent the tens of thousands of "mom-and-pop", family run shops in the country. Using data analytics could give these unchained stores real-time advice on product display and portfolio adjustment.

"Our goal is to digitalize all grocery stores by shortening their procurement cycle and doubling gross merchandise volume in a year," said Lin Xiaohai, general manager of LST.

According to Lin, disrupting traditional intuition-based commerce is something the Alibaba solution can share with the rest of the world, especially in regions where retailers such as street stands and kiosks have less financial flexibility and limited negotiating power.

"Backed by Alibaba, increased procurement strength can help merchants to secure previously unattainable products at competitive prices. Meanwhile, an inventory monitoring system and a comprehensive logistics network can ensure faster goods distribution," he said.

The model has received a warm reception among foreign executives such as Andrew Kennedy, vice-president of customer development at Unilever China. The company is partnering with Alibaba on its data-driven distribution model.

"We are very excited about the LST business ... because it helps enhance transparency, professionalism and efficiency in the industry," he said.

LST's initial success in China is propelling General Manager Lin to recruit more international professionals, like himself. Lin is a fast-moving consumer goods veteran who spent two decades at retail giant P&G Co before joining Alibaba two years ago.

"The culture here encourages moderate risk-taking by putting people in charge of projects to try out new things," said Lin. "You can literally transform your experiences at multinational corporations into real practice and fine-tune your ideas to fit the internet-based approach."

These were the words Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang said to entice Lin to get involved.

"Today I would say pretty much the same thing to attract candidates who have solid professional backgrounds in leading multinational corporations," he said. "Because while we are currently operating within China, the potential is beyond imagination."

This mentality reflects the bigger trend in which professionals with international backgrounds are increasingly more willing to join Chinese technology firms, said Jessica Wang, North China business director of Hays, a global specialist recruitment agency.

"China is fast-rising in terms of e-commerce development compared with a relative ebb in the United States," Wang said. "They (Chinese companies) are expanding fast with innovative and large-scale projects that can impact the industry and capture people's interest."

In addition to domestic companies' payroll benefits, their brand awareness in global markets and explosive growth are attracting experienced candidates, according to Wang.

"Appearing frequently on news headlines, the likes of Alibaba and Tencent have become truly global names, making it easy for them to attract talents," Wang said.