Chinese e-commerce juggernaut Alibaba, slating a large post-Labor Day initial public offering, has fortified its global communications ranks with a trio of execs, including former New York Times and Wall Street Journal PR chief Bob Christie.

Alibaba
Christie, Juperman, Jenkins

Christie, who left the top corporate communications post at the Times in 2013 as his job was eliminated, joins Hangzhou-based Alibaba as VP of international media in San Francisco. The former VP of comms. at Dow Jones and managing director for Burson-Marsteller reports to Alibaba head of international corporate affairs Jim Wilkinson, a Brunswick Group and PepsiCo alum.

Alibaba is set to go public this fall in an IPO potentially worth more than $16B and aims to challenge Amazon and eBay on the e-commerce front.

In addition to Christie, the company has added Visa exec Jennifer Kuperman as VP of strategy and planning and lead international strategic communications efforts. Kuperman, a former management consultant, was SVP and head of corporate marketing and reputation for Visa and chief of staff to its CEO.

Alibaba also signed on Brunswick Group's Greg Jenkins, a former Fox News Channel producer, as director on its global corporate affairs team.

All of the new hires report to Wilkinson.

Ashley Zandy, who left Facebook in 2013 to head corporate and financial communications for Alibaba in the US, returned to Facebook this month in a London-based corporate comms. role.

Brunswick, Sard Verbinnnen & Co and Hill+Knowlton Strategies are on Alibaba's PR agency roster.