Ding Lei

Ding Lei (Chinese: 丁磊; pinyin: Dīng Lěi; born October 1971), also known as William Ding, is the founder and CEO of NetEase. He made significant contributions to the development of computer networks in mainland China. According to Forbes' China Rich List 2015 he is the 10th wealthiest person in China with an estimated fortune of $10.6 billion. In late 2016, Lei was looking into investing in the property sector, he travelled to Zimbabwe in December, and to the United Kingdom. He was the wealthiest man in China at one point.

Early life

Ding Lei was born in Fenghua, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. He graduated from Chengdu College of Electronic Science and Technology (now University of Electronic Science and Technology of China) and obtained a Bachelor's degree.

Career

After graduation he first worked in a local state department in Ningbo as an engineer, and then he went to Guangzhou and worked for Sybase there. He founded NetEase and became the richest individual in Chinese mainland in the year of 2003 (7.6 billion yuan). According to the Hurun Report 2013, his net worth is estimated to be $5.2 billion