Zhang Kangyang or Steven Zhang is a Chinese businessman and chairman of the Italian football club Inter Milan.
Biography
Zhang is the son of Chinese billionaire Zhang Jindong, founder and chairman of the Suning Holdings Group, which started from a specialty retail store in China on 26th December 1990 and quickly transformed into a leading national chain. Today, Suning operates across diversified industries: Suning.com, Logistics, Financial Services, Technology, Real Estate, Sports, Media & Entertainment, and Investment. Steven Zhang is one of the most influential young business leaders in China and has featured in Fortune China magazine's "40 Under 40" list for the last two consecutive years. In October 2018, Steven Zhang became the youngest ever chairman of Football Club Internazionale Milano S.p.A., known as Inter Milan. Having been instrumental in Suning Holdings Group's acquisition of Inter in 2016, he then held a position on the Board and took over the management of operations for the club. In 2019, Inter's enterprise value rose over 41% to EUR 692 million, the highest growth of any club in Europe. Inter is also ranked in the Top 10 for Club Stadia. Since March 2018 Steven Zhang has been on the UEFA Club Competitions Committee and is the only member from Asia. In September 2019, he was nominated as a member of the European Club Association Executive Board, the body established in 2008 and recognised by UEFA and FIFA, representing the interests of professional association football clubs in Europe. He is the first Chinese representative among 24 members of the Board. As the President of Suning International, Steven Zhang has the ultimate responsibility for spearheading the business's international expansion and future ambitions. Suning International is part of Suning Holdings Group – the commercial giant ranked second among the top 500 non-state owned enterprises in China with annual revenues of RMB 602,5 billion and the owners of Suning.com, a smart retail subsidiary currently ranked China's most valuable retail brand and listed on the Fortune Global 500List of the world’s largest companies for three successive years, with a total brand value of RMB 269.198 billion and an operating income in excess of USD 37 billion. Steven Zhang has run Suning International since 2016 and opened the office in Milan in the first half of 2018, which was seen as a catalyst for Suning International's European growth. In this time, cooperation agreements have been signed with Italian trade institutions, brands and enterprises, including a strategic partnership with the Italian Trade Agency signed during the China-Italy state visit in March 2019. Beyond Europe, Suning has an established global network covering Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, Japan and the US. Under Mr. Steven Zhang’s guidance and expertise, the business forecasts that approximately 30% of its revenue will come from international business by 2020. In 2020, Suning.com is expected to launch the first ever Suning International high-end smart store in Shanghai, designed to be a fashion centre that gathers overseas niche, luxury brands from Europe, Japan and South Korea. Suning International has also announced plans to open 150 new experiential stores in the next three years, designed to provide a gateway for Chinese consumers to access and be inspired by different lifestyle around the globe. in February 2020, Inter Milan is suing MLS for trademark infringement, claiming that the term “Inter” is synonymous with its club and no one else. In April 2020, Zhang put out insulting words on his Instagram "You are probably the biggest and darkest clown I have ever seen." directed at Paolo Dal Pino, the president of Italy's top football league, Serie A, over his handling of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak and now faces disciplinary action.
