Jack Ma takes up University of Hong Kong’s honorary professorship in pursuit of his post-retirement passion in education
- Ma was invited to be an honorary professor on April 1 for a three-year term ending in March 2026, according to an announcement
- Ma will focus on conducting research in finance, agriculture and enterprise innovation, according to the announcement
Ma will focus on conducting research in finance, agriculture and entrepreneurial innovations with the HKU faculty, with no plans for public lectures or speeches, according to people familiar with his plans. The Post is wholly owned by Alibaba.
“We are pleased to confirm Mr Ma is honoured to accept the invitation as we believe the appointment will put his entrepreneurial experience and ideas to effective use,” the Jack Ma Foundation said in response to the Post’s query. “After a hiatus from the world of education, Mr Ma looks forward to returning to campus life and collaborating with faculty and students in his [HKU] appointment, while focusing his research on education and business innovation.”
A University of Hong Kong spokesperson said Ma “is a visionary and accomplished entrepreneur” and the university “expresses gratitude to Ma for accepting the invitation to assume this distinguished position … and to share his rich knowledge and experience in business innovation and development with students and faculty.”
Ma, who taught English at the Hangzhou Dianzi University in the Zhejiang provincial capital before embarking on a career in entrepreneurship, would be the highest-profile addition to the faculty of the HKU Business School, as the institution invites successful businesspeople to bring real-world relevance to its academic courses. HKU was ranked 21st in the 2023 QS World University Rankings, while its Business and Economics course was 34th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
