Alibaba president steps down from Farfetch board

John Michael Evans, the president of the Alibaba Group, has announced his resignation from the board of directors of luxury retailer Farfetch Limited, with immediate effect.

In a regulatory filing, Farfetch said that the resignation “was in furtherance of the arm’s length commercial partnership between Alibaba Group Holding Limited” and the company.

It added: “Mr. Evans’ resignation was not the result of any disagreement with the company or its operations, policies or practices. He leaves with sincere thanks for all he has contributed to the board and the company, along with our best wishes for the future.”

Evans has served as president of Alibaba since August 2015, and had initially joined Farfetch’s board back in late 2020.

His departure comes at a time when Farfetch is continuing to seemingly deal with a financial crisis, as a slew of media speculation began circulating in the last month regarding a potential delisting of the company on the New York Stock Exchange, as well as a reported search for fresh funding.