Who is Samir Kumar, Amazon India's new country manager
What's the story
Amazon has announced the appointment of Samir Kumar as its new country manager for India. This development comes in the wake of Manish Tiwary's resignation from the position. Kumar, a seasoned executive with 25 years of experience at Amazon, will assume his new role starting October 1, while also continuing to oversee Amazon's consumer businesses in Turkey, South Africa, and the Middle East.
Career trajectory
Kumar's background and journey with Amazon
Kumar joined Amazon in 1999 and was part of the core team that launched Amazon.in in 2013. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronic Engineering from NIT Rourkela and a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Utah State University. His new role as country manager for India comes a month after Tiwary stepped down from the position. Senior executives, including Saurabh Srivastava (Categories), Harsh Goyal (Everyday Essentials), Amit Nanda (Marketplace), and Aastha Jain (Growth Initiatives) will report directly to Kumar.
Leadership model
Amazon's dual leadership structure in India
Kumar will work closely with Amit Agarwal, Amazon's Senior Vice President for Emerging Markets. Kishore Thota (Emerging Markets Shopping Experience) will now report directly to Agarwal. This new arrangement signifies a dual leadership structure for Amazon India. Despite the recent changes, India continues to be a key market for Amazon with significant investments made over the past few years.
Market outlook
Amazon's market challenges and future plans
Amazon faces stiff competition from local e-commerce platform Flipkart, which has gained market share in India. The company also trails behind in the quick commerce sector, where firms like Zomato-owned Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, Tata BigBasket, and Flipkart Minutes are making significant progress. Despite these challenges, Amazon remains committed to its growth strategy in India with plans to digitize 10 million small businesses by 2025.