Amit Agarwal always preferred the road less travelled. He launched his career with a consulting firm but even after a one-and-a half-year stint, he did not get 'professional satisfaction'. So, he moved to a Seattle-based three-year old company, Amazon. That was in 1999 and Agarwal has never looked back since. "I was an IIT (Kanpur) graduate with a post graduate degree from University of Texas. So, I was expected to earn a lot of money from companies that were big names in the field of technology, at least while I was beginning my career," he says.
So, what really got him to Amazon? The answer: "The consumer industry was beginning to bloom on internet, the innovation levels were high and the system was in the process taking a concrete shape." He wanted to be a part of it.
It sounds simple, but things did not simply fall into place. "There were days when I thought it was not working, but it did, eventually," he recalls. In September 2004, he was sent to India to handle the fledgling yet emerging business opportunities in India.
"Realising the potential of Indian sub continent and developing a platform for Amazon in india was probably the toughest assignment I could have asked for," tables the managing director (Web Services), Amazon Development Centre, India.
Ask him about his biggest contribution to Amazon India and pat comes the reply, "Third-party selling platform." Agarwal pioneered the concept of vendors selling their wares/services through Amazon's platform, which added the 'just right' momentum to the online marketing sphere.
Get him talking on the business of internet, and Agarwal has his speech ready. "The idea of innovation is changing," he reasons, "Making money, even if you are at the bottom of the pyramid is possible if your customers are kept happy." When he is not brainstorming about what clicks on the internet, Agarwal likes to unwind with Kishore Kumar songs and a book on any business/management related topic. His favourite? "Fortune At The Bottom Of The Pyramid was a great read," he answers.
