Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba has appointed Jim Wilkinson as senior vice president, leading Alibaba's international corporate affairs unit.

Wilkinson will directly report to Cai Chongxin, executive deputy chairman of the board of directors of Alibaba Group.

Locating in San Francisco, Wilkinson will be responsible for setting up and leading Alibaba's international corporate affairs unit. Wilkinson has extensive public and corporate relations experiences in international, consumer and financial markets; and reportedly has rich experiences in government and regulatory affair sectors in major markets across the world.

Prior to joining Alibaba, Wilkinson worked for PepsiCo as executive vice president for global corporate communications. Before that, he was a managing director of Brunswick Group, providing consulting advices in international affairs, and corporate and financial communications for multinational companies.

Commenting on the appointment, Cai said that for international corporate affairs, Wilkinson is an experienced team builder and leader. He is honest, passionate, and dedicated to his job, which are qualities in line with the values of Alibaba.

Meanwhile, Alibaba Group also announced the appointment of Chen Jiabao as vice president of corporate affairs and he will be located in Hong Kong. In the new position, Chen will lead Alibaba Group's public relations in Hong Kong as well as other overseas Chinese market. Chen will report to Wang Shuai, chief marketing officer of Alibaba Group.

Alibaba's initial public offering is planned for the near future.