Amazon veteran Samir Kumar to replace Manish Tiwary as head of India ops

Kumar, who joined Amazon in 1999, was part of the original team that planned and launched Amazon.in (Amazon India) in 2013

Amazon has announced that Samir Kumar, a 25-year veteran of the company, will assume the role of head of its India consumer business effective October 1, 2024. This leadership change follows the resignation of Manish Tiwary, who had led Amazon India for over eight years.

Kumar’s new role will complement his current responsibilities of overseeing Amazon’s consumer businesses in West Asia, South Africa, and Türkiye.

Joining Amazon in 1999, Kumar was part of the original team that launched Amazon.in (Amazon India) in 2013. At that time, Amazon sold only books and operated from a small Mumbai warehouse with about 100 sellers. From these modest beginnings, Amazon has grown to occupy about 43 million cubic feet of space and collaborate with over 1.2 million sellers.

 

The search for the team behind Amazon.in began years before its launch. The team, well-versed in India’s unique nuances and Amazon’s culture, was motivated by the opportunity to impact lives and livelihoods in the country. Many Amazon employees returned from Seattle, inspired by the mission to digitise India.

When Amazon.in went live on June 5, 2013, conventional wisdom suggested that Amazon would adapt its global playbook for India. However, the Indian marketplace evolved uniquely, diverging from Amazon’s operations elsewhere.

“India remains a priority for Amazon,” said Amit Agarwal, senior vice-president for emerging markets (EMs). “With Samir Kumar’s extensive experience across EMs, I am even more optimistic about our plans to serve customers and grow our business in India.”

Following this transition, the current Amazon.in leadership team, including Saurabh Srivastava (categories), Harsh Goyal (everyday essentials), Amit Nanda (marketplace), and Aastha Jain (growth initiatives), will report to Kumar. Kishore Thota (EMs shopping experience) will report directly to Amit Agarwal.

An alumnus of the National Institute of Technology Rourkela and Utah State University, Kumar is currently based in Seattle and working closely with Manish Tiwary to ensure a smooth transition. Kumar will assume operational responsibilities for India starting October 1.

Kumar faces a huge challenge in his new role. Amazon is in intense competition with rivals such as Walmart-owned Flipkart, Reliance’s JioMart, and Tata for a share of India’s rapidly growing e-commerce market, projected to reach $350 billion by 2030.

Kumar’s focus will include expanding vernacular language and voice-based shopping platforms to engage the next 500 million users in Bharat — India’s smaller towns and cities. In addition to its existing streaming video and music services, Amazon has introduced miniTV, a free, ad-supported video streaming service for users of the Amazon application in India who are interested in short films.

Amazon has invested around $6.5 billion in its Indian e-commerce business.

However, Amazon faces various challenges in India. Trade bodies view Amazon and Flipkart as threats to local retailers, leading to legal disputes. The Competition Commission of India has also reportedly investigated Amazon for preferential treatment.

Amazon has also been involved in a legal battle with Future Retail over the retailer’s $3.4 billion deal with Reliance Industries and has recently laid off employees in India due to global macroeconomic uncertainties.

Amazon has committed to digitising 10 million micro, small and medium enterprises, enabling $20 billion in cumulative e-commerce exports, and creating 2 million jobs in India by 2025. The company states that it is making progress toward these goals.

Tough road ahead?
 

Amazon has been involved in a legal battle with Future Retail over the retailer’s $3.4 billion deal with Reliance Industries
 

Trade bodies perceive Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart as a threat to local retailers and have taken the matter to various courts. 
 

The CCI of India had also reportedly launched an investigation over preferential treatment