Written by Sai Ishwarbharat B and Varun Vyas Heppalalu
(Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc appointed Sameer Kumar as its new India chief on Wednesday, handing the reins to a 25-year veteran as the e-commerce giant faces stiff competition and regulatory pressure in the country.
Kumar was part of the team that launched Amazon (NASDAQ:) India in 2013, and will take over from Manish Tiwari on October 1, in addition to his current role as head of Amazon’s consumer business in the Middle East, South Africa and Turkey.
Tewari resigned last month, after an eight-year tenure, to pursue an opportunity outside the company, Amazon said, without elaborating.
The change in leadership comes as the US e-commerce company is rapidly expanding in India, with plans to invest up to $26 billion by 2030, even as it faces intense regulatory scrutiny.
Last week, Reuters reported that India’s antitrust watchdog found that Amazon and its larger local rival Flipkart had violated laws by favoring certain sellers, prioritizing certain listings, and sharply underpricing products, to the detriment of other companies.
A member of parliament from India’s ruling party and a group of major retailers have also urged the country’s government to suspend the operations of Amazon and Flipkart in light of antitrust violations.
“There have been some grumblings from ruling politicians about how Amazon is impacting small retailers and even consumers, and mistreating its warehouse workers,” said Jaspreet Bindra, founder of tech consultancy Tech Whisperer. “Sameer will have to deal with the regulatory fallout.”
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.