On October 11, 2016, Mr. Jack Ma, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Alibaba Group and Special Advisor of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on Youth Entrepreneurship and Small Business was the Guest Speaker at the special event, “A Conversation with Jack Ma on Entrepreneurship and Inclusive Globalization” held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.

In the conversation moderated by the Director-General of the Department of International Economic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ma described his passion in motivating SMEs and young entrepreneurs in succeeding and contributing to the global supply chain. Mr. Ma also discussed his humble background and his own drive to overcome failure in order to find a cause in life.  He advised the start-ups owners and the younger generation to be open minded, trust their own instincts and positive outlook to forge ahead.  Money, though an important factor to begin with, should not be the motivator to succeed, but passion and belief in working for others would drive one to achieve a better life for all.

Mr. Ma indicated that Thailand has the elements to succeed as its leaders have vision and passion in doing good deeds for the public. He said he was encouraged by the vision and innovative thinking that exists in Thailand, and that he had confidence that the mixture of rich culture and eastern values of compassion and inner strength which attracted him to visit Thailand more than ten times, will ensure Thailand’s success with its Thailand 4.0 and
Digital Thailand strategies, as well as Prompt Pay initiative which he viewed as being very promising. His presence at the 2nd Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Summit provided him with an opportunity to speak to Asian leaders and to encourage government policies that would facilitate and support opportunities for the young and innovative thinkers to drive growth and economic success. He indicated that we must listen to the young and support SMEs, as they are way ahead in driving growth, while policy formation by the public sector often lags behind. In the future, consumers will drive and shape businesses he underlined.

Mr. Ma’s speech and discussion with Thai entrepreneurs as well as the press can be heard at https://www.facebook.com/saranromradio/videos/1255745227780067/

The Director General indicated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was appreciative of the opportunity to welcome the Alibaba Founder to the Ministry and that his wisdom and guidance serves to inspire Thai youth and SMEs both those present at the Ministry and those watching on line or on other mediums.

Mr. Jack Ma is one of the world’s leading entrepreneurs and philanthropists and Founder and Executive Chairman of the Alibaba Group. Mr. Ma is also a Special Advisor of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on Youth Entrepreneurship and Small Business, which holds the rank of Assistant Secretary General and is a United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Advocate. The Alibaba Group is the largest e-commerce company in China that has made the biggest Initial Public Offering (IPO) in U.S. history when it debuted at the New York Stock Exchange on September 19, 2014.