Zhu Jun (businessman)
| Zhu Jun | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 7, 1966 Shanghai, China |
| Nationality | Singaporean |
| Occupation | founder of The9, Ltd. selected chairman of the Shanghai Shenhua football club |
Jun Zhu (Chinese: 朱骏), (born 7 October 1966) is a Chinese-born Singaporeanindustrialist and businessman and the Chairman of Nasdaq listed company the Nine City (NASDAQ: NCTY). He is also known for his chairmanship of Shanghai Shenhua football club.
Zhu was born in Shanghai and attended Shanghai Jiaotong University. He dropped out of the university after two years. He moved to the United States in 1993.
In 1999, Zhu founded online gaming company The9 Ltd, which was successful and listed on the NASDAQ exchange in 2004. The company is the source of his wealth.
He purchased Shanghai Zhongbang football club from businessman Wei Ping in 2005. On Dec 21 2005, most players on the team went to the headquarters of Zhu Jun's company to request the wages he failed to pay.
Zhu purchased a controlling 28.5% stake in Chinese Super League football club Shanghai Shenhua in 2007. Five state-owned enterprises hold the remainder but reportedly agreed to up Zhu's stake to 70% after two years if he invested US$23.6 million.
As chairman, Zhu Jun is known for his bizarre management style at the club, including interfering with the team management and a lack of respect for his employees. In August 2007, he even forced the manager to name him in the squad of Shanghai Shenhua for a game against the English club Liverpool F.C..
In the 2011 season, with cash apparently running short, Zhu Jun decided to sell most players in the squad including the top goal scorer Duvier Riascos, Du Wei and Gao Lin, causing the team to free-fall in the league. On 17 August 2011, angry fans in the stands of Hongkou Stadium demanded that Zhu Jun leave the club. Shortly afterwards, the club reacted by declaring that the club considered moving the team out of Shanghai, which further infuriated supporters.
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