Amazon.com has appointed Samir Kumar as its head for India, handing leadership to a 25-year company veteran as the e-commerce giant faces mounting competition and regulatory pressures in the country.
India is an important e-commerce market for Amazon. The online sales platform has clocked revenue of Rs 22,198 crore and a loss of Rs 4,854 crore during fiscal 2023.
The Indian e-commerce industry is projected to reach $300 billion by 2030 from $160 billion in 2028 and $57-60 billion in 2023.
The Amazon.in leadership team includes Samir Kumar, Saurabh Srivastava (Categories), Harsh Goyal (Everyday Essentials), Amit Nanda (Marketplace), and Aastha Jain (Growth Initiatives). Kishore Thota (Emerging Markets Shopping Experience) will report to Amit Nanda.
Samir Kumar, who played a key role in launching Amazon India in 2013, will succeed Manish Tiwary on October 1, Reuters news report said. In addition to his new role, Samir Kumar will continue overseeing Amazon’s consumer businesses in the Middle East, South Africa, and Turkey.
Manish Tiwary resigned last month after an eight-year tenure with the company, leaving to pursue an external opportunity, according to Amazon.
The leadership change occurs as Amazon ramps up its expansion in India, with plans to invest up to $26 billion by 2030. However, the company is under intense regulatory scrutiny.
A recent report by Reuters revealed that India’s antitrust body found Amazon and its largest local competitor, Flipkart, guilty of violating laws by favoring select sellers, prioritizing certain listings, and offering steep discounts that harm smaller businesses.
The situation has led some Indian lawmakers and key retailer groups to call for the suspension of operations of both Amazon and Flipkart.
“There have been some rumbles from the ruling politicians around how Amazon is impacting small traders and even consumers, and mistreating its warehouse workers. Samir will have to deal with the regulatory fallout,” said Jaspreet Bindra, founder of tech advisory firm Tech Whisperer.
