Amazon has appointed long-time executive Samir Kumar as the new head of its India consumer business, following an unexpected leadership shift in one of its key markets last month. Kumar, who has been with Amazon for 25 years, will now serve as Country Manager for India, while continuing to oversee the company’s consumer operations in the Middle East, South Africa, and Turkey.
The leadership transition was communicated by Amit Agarwal, Amazon’s Senior Vice President for Emerging Markets, in an internal email. This change follows the sudden departure of Manish Tiwary, the previous head of Amazon’s India consumer business.
“India remains a crucial priority for Amazon, and I’m very excited about the opportunities ahead as we continue to transform lives and livelihoods,” said Agarwal in a statement. He expressed confidence in Kumar’s leadership, highlighting his experience across emerging markets and optimism about Amazon’s future in India.
Despite Amazon’s investment of over $7 billion in India, the company is facing increasing competition in smaller cities and towns. Local rivals Flipkart, owned by Walmart, and Meesho, backed by SoftBank, have strengthened their market presence. According to Morgan Stanley, Meesho has surpassed Amazon in monthly active users on mobile apps, and Bank of America reports that Flipkart has over 50 million daily active users on its mobile platforms, compared to Amazon’s fewer than 40 million.
In urban areas, Amazon is also contending with fast-growing quick commerce companies like BlinkIt, Swiggy, and Zepto, which attract customers with ultra-fast delivery services, sometimes within 10 minutes. Flipkart has recently introduced its own quick delivery service in Bengaluru and is testing four-hour deliveries through Myntra, India’s leading online fashion platform. Amazon has so far not venture into any quick commerce offering in India.
