Amazon India is set to undergo a significant leadership change with Samir Kumar, a seasoned executive with over two decades of experience at the company, stepping into the role of country manager on October 1, the e-commerce giant has announced. This shift comes in the wake of Amazon India's current Country Manager Manish Tiwary's decision to explore "new opportunities outside the company," according to an internal communication from Amit Agarwal, Senior Vice President of Emerging Markets.
Who Is Samir Kumar
Kumar's journey with Amazon began in 1999 when he joined as a systems engineer, back when the company was valued at less than $1 billion. Over the years, he steadily climbed the corporate ladder, eventually becoming Vice President, where he played a pivotal role in expanding Amazon’s operations across global markets.
Samir, who joined Amazon in 1999, was a part of the original team that planned and launched Amazon.in in 2013. With this change, the current Amazon.in leadership team of Saurabh Srivastava (Categories), Harsh Goyal (Everyday Essentials), Amit Nanda (Marketplace), and Aastha Jain (Growth Initiatives) will now report to Samir. Kishore Thota (Emerging Markets Shopping Experience) will report to Amit directly, the company wrote in a blog post.
Samir is working closely with Tiwary on the transition, and will assume operational responsibilities for India starting October 1.
“I am deeply appreciative of Manish’s leadership in steering Amazon.in to become the de facto starting point for Indians to buy and sell anything online. I wish him the best for his next chapter," Amit Agarwal, SVP for Emerging Markets, said in a statement.
"India remains an important priority for Amazon, and I am super excited about the opportunity ahead as we continue to transform lives and livelihoods. We have a strong local leadership bench and, along with Samir’s experiences across Emerging Markets, I am even more optimistic about our future plans to deliver for customers and the business in India," Agarwal added.