Dr. Zhang is the founder of Wumart Group, one of the earliest and largest retailers in China. Dedicated to retail digitalization, innovation, and consolidation, Dr Zhang also founded a leading retail digital solution provider in Asia, Dmall. Dr Zhang has valuable experience implementing retail tech to improve efficiency and user experience for brick-and-mortar retail chains, helping retailers transform and adapt to an AI-enabled, omnichannel future through Dmall's end-to-end solutions.
He serves as the Deputy Director-General of the China Society for Promotion of the Guangcai Program (CSPGP), the Founding Rotating Chairman of the Internet of Things Committee of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, a Global Board Member of the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), the President of the Tianjin General Chamber of Commerce, the Lifetime Trustee of Nankai University, and the President of the Nankai Alumni Entrepreneur Association. He has also been appointed as a Distinguished Professor at Peking University and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Hong Kong.
Dr. Zhang was awarded the title of China's Advanced Individuals in Private Sector in Addressing COVID-19, China's 50 Most Influential Business Leaders by Fortune Magazine, Lifetime Achievement Award - Influential Business Leaders by China Entrepreneur Magazine, China's 25 Most Influential Business Leaders of the Year, China's Top 10 Figures in Private Enterprises of the Year, China's Top 10 Economic Person of the Year.
Dr. Zhang obtained his Bachelor and Master’s degree from Nankai University. He further obtained his Ph.D. degree in Systems Science from the Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences and conducted his postdoctoral research at the School of Engineering of Stanford University.
Amid the dual pressures of consumption downgrading and technological breakthrough, brick-and-mortar retail is entering a new cycle of structural transformation.
Chairman Daniel Zhang will draw on his hands-on experience in retail operations and AI innovation to systematically elaborate on how to leverage AI as a core engine to build a new AI-powered retail paradigm that integrates "retail operations + full digitalization + AI." He will focus on the following three key dimensions:
1. Growth Potential:
AI-driven new productive retail emphasizes data as a key asset and artificial intelligence as the core driver, revolutionizing the entire circulation chain of FMCG from production to consumption. By redefining the relationship between people, products, and channels, it enables a new model of efficient, sustainable, and inclusive growth.
2. Ecosystem Capability:
AI-driven new productive retail must replace "single-point competition" with "ecosystem collaboration." Retailers, AI solution providers, cloud service platforms, and computing power companies must complement each other’s strengths, accelerate innovation, share best practices, reduce technical risks, and jointly navigate the complexities of AI technologies.
3. Human-Centered Value:
AI-driven new productive retail stays rooted in a people-first philosophy, upholding the “Five Loves” principle: love yourself, love your family, love your colleagues, love your partners (all business collaborators), and love your customers. The goal is to create a new retail system that is efficient, convenient, and high-quality, enhancing well-being for all stakeholders.