President, Baidu

Dr. Ya-Qin Zhang is currently the President of Baidu Inc, a leading global internet company focused on mobile, search, and AI with over 45000 people in 20 countries. Prior to joining Baidu in 2014, Zhang had served on several key positions including Corporate Vice President, Chairman of Microsoft China, and managing director of Microsoft Research Asia during his 16-year tenure with Microsoft. He has made outstanding contributions to the Internet and software industry with more than 60 US patents granted, more than 500 peer-reviewed papers, 11 monographs, and many key products in digital video, networking, operating system, and cloud computing. He is an honorary or guest professor at more than 10 prestigious universities, and advisor to several government agencies. Zhang is a Fellow of Australia Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE), and Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).