Amazon names veteran Samir Kumar as new India head

Smartphone with Amazon logo is seen in front of displayed Indian flag in this illustration taken, July 30, 2021. REUTERS

Amazon.com named Samir Kumar as its new India head on Wednesday, handing the reins to a 25-year company veteran as the e-commerce giant faces intense competition and regulatory pressures in the country.

Kumar was part of a team that launched Amazon India in 2013 and will take over from Manish Tiwary on Oct 1, in addition to his current role as head of Amazon's consumer businesses in the Middle East, South Africa and Turkey.

Tiwary resigned last month, after an eight-year stint, to pursue an opportunity outside the company, Amazon had said, without elaborating further.

The change in leadership comes as the US e-commerce giant is fast expanding in India, with plans to invest up to $26 billion by 2030, even as it faces intense regulatory scrutiny.

Last week, Reuters reported, opens new tab India's antitrust body found that Amazon and its biggest local rival Flipkart violated laws by preferring select sellers, prioritising certain listings, and steeply discounting products, hurting other companies.

A lawmaker of India's ruling party and a key retailers' group had also urged the country's government to suspend the operations of Amazon and Flipkart in light of the antitrust breaches.

"There have been some rumbles from the ruling politicians around how Amazon is impacting small traders and even consumers, and mistreating its warehouse workers. Samir will have to deal with the regulatory fallout," said Jaspreet Bindra, founder of tech advisory firm Tech Whisperer.