HANGZHOU, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alibaba Group today announced the appointment of Eric Pelletier as Vice President, Head of International Government Affairs.
Mr. Pelletier will be based in Washington, DC, and in this new role he will lead Alibaba Group’s government affairs activities internationally (outside of China).
Mr. Pelletier is a proven international government affairs leader and consensus builder. For the past 20 years, Eric has served in key leadership positions at the highest levels of the U.S. Congress, the White House and the private sector. A recognized expert in strategic policy advocacy around the globe and an experienced problem solver, he has been a trusted advisor to the President of the United States, Cabinet Secretaries, Speakers of the House of Representatives, Senate Leaders, committee chairmen, regulators, Members of Congress and senior business executives of Global Fortune 50 companies.
“Eric is a proven leader who is respected on both sides of the aisle in Washington and around the globe,” said Jim Wilkinson, Alibaba Group’s Senior Vice President and Head of International Corporate Affairs. “There is no one better to lead Alibaba Group’s international government affairs and regulatory efforts, and Eric will be a strong addition to our international leadership team.”
“I am humbled by the confidence Alibaba Group has placed in me,” said Eric Pelletier. “I eagerly look forward to joining the outstanding Alibaba team and working collaboratively to build the international government affairs function.”
Mr. Pelletier joins Alibaba Group from the General Electric Company (GE) where he has served for the past 10 years. Most recently, Mr. Pelletier served as Global Executive Leader for Government Affairs and Policy for GE Capital, managing a global team in the U.S., Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Prior to his current role he served as Senior Manager of Government Affairs and Policy at GE, helping to lead legislative and regulatory outreach at the U.S. federal and state level.
Prior to GE, Mr. Pelletier served in The White House under President George W. Bush as Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs. In this role, Mr. Pelletier provided direct legislative and policy counsel to the President, senior White House staff, Cabinet members, and heads of agencies. Prior to this role, Mr. Pelletier served at The White House as the Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Legislative Affairs.
Before joining The White House, Mr. Pelletier had a long and distinguished career of service as a staff member in the U.S. Congress. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives as Deputy Staff Director for the Committee on Rules. In this role he served as the primary liaison with the House leadership, committee chairmen and staff directors on both sides of the aisle. At the House Rules Committee, Mr. Pelletier also served in other roles, including as Parliamentary Counsel and as a member of the Committee’s professional staff. Prior to joining the House Rules Committee, Mr. Pelletier served as a Legislative Assistant to Congressman Gerald B.H. Solomon (R-NY).
Mr. Pelletier received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History in 1992 from Eastern University.
Mr. Pelletier will dual report to Alibaba Group Senior Vice President and Head of International Corporate Affairs Jim Wilkinson, as well as Alibaba Group General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Tim Steinert.
About Alibaba Group
Alibaba Group’s mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The company is the largest online and mobile commerce company in the world in terms of gross merchandise volume. Founded in 1999, the company provides the fundamental technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help businesses leverage the power of the Internet to establish an online presence and conduct commerce with hundreds of millions of consumers and other businesses.
Alibaba Group’s major businesses include:
- Taobao Marketplace (www.taobao.com), China's largest online shopping destination
- Tmall.com (www.tmall.com), China’s largest third-party platform for brands and retailers
- Juhuasuan (www.juhuasuan.com), China’s most popular online group buying marketplace
- Alitrip (www.alitrip.com), a leading online travel booking platform
- AliExpress (www.aliexpress.com), a global online marketplace for consumers to buy directly from China
- Alibaba.com (www.alibaba.com), China’s largest global online wholesale platform for small businesses
- 1688.com (www.1688.com), a leading online wholesale marketplace in China
- Aliyun (www.aliyun.com), a provider of cloud computing services to businesses and entrepreneurs