SUMMARY
- Amazon may appoint senior executive Samir Kumar to lead its India operations, following the resignation of Manish Tiwary.
- The company faces growing challenges from quick-commerce competitors like Blinkit, Instamart, and Zepto, which have eroded its market share.
- Amidst these challenges, Amazon is expanding its investments in its payments and cloud computing businesses in India.
Amazon is considering appointing veteran executive Samir Kumar to head its Indian operations following the resignation of current country manager and Vice President Manish Tiwary. According to sources familiar with the situation, Kumar, who has been associated with Amazon for over 25 years, might relocate from Seattle to Bengaluru for this role.
Kumar initially launched Amazon’s operations in India in 2012-13, working closely with Amit Agarwal, the then country head who now oversees emerging markets. Kumar managed Amazon’s India operations until 2016, before moving to Seattle to lead the company’s export business. Tiwary joined Amazon in 2016 and took charge of domestic operations in 2020. In a major leadership transition, Amazon announced Tiwary’s departure in August 2024, although he will stay on until October 2024. Meanwhile, Kumar has begun assuming certain responsibilities as part of the handover process. A source indicated, “Kumar has recently become more engaged with the India team on strategy, aiming to restore the growth momentum he set before 2016.”
An Amazon India spokesperson declined to comment on the potential leadership change.
Kumar, who studied engineering at the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, and obtained a master’s degree from Utah State University in 1995, joined Amazon as a systems engineer in 1999.
Amazon’s India operations have faced challenges, particularly from the rise of quick-commerce competitors such as Blinkit, Instamart, and Zepto, which have disrupted the market by delivering products in under 30 minutes. This sectoral shift has affected Amazon’s market share, with its order numbers dipping by 15-20%, according to industry analysts. Amazon has been slow to respond to this rapid transformation, prompting discussions around acquiring a strategic stake in Swiggy, which owns Instamart, and exploring new offerings in the quick-commerce segment.
The company’s main marketplace unit in India, Amazon Seller Services, saw stagnant growth in FY23, with operating revenues increasing by only 3.4% to Rs 22,198 crore. Additionally, losses grew by 33% to Rs 4,854 crore, reversing a previously declining trend. Senior executive Nishant Sardana has been tasked with developing Amazon’s quick-commerce strategy as part of a broader leadership restructuring.
Amid these challenges, Amazon has also been expanding its investments in other sectors. The company plans to launch a separate app for its payments service in India, having invested over $1.4 billion in this unit. Recently, it increased its stake in lending firm Axio. Meanwhile, its cloud computing unit, Amazon Web Services (AWS), has continued to grow at a significantly faster pace.
