E-commerce giant Amazon has announced the appointment of Samir Kumar as the new Country Manager for India, effective October 1. Kumar will take over from Manish Tiwary, who has decided to pursue opportunities outside the company.
Kumar will continue overseeing the consumer businesses of the retail giant across the Middle East, South Africa, and Turkey.
Kumar joined Amazon in 1999 and was part of the core team that launched Amazon.in in 2013. Kumar is an engineering graduate from the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela. He got his master’s degree from Utah State University in 1995.
Samir Kumar will work closely with Manish Tiwary during the transition period, ensuring a smooth and strategic shift as Manish, the current Country Manager for Amazon India, explores new opportunities outside the company.
Ami Agarwal, Amazon’s senior vice president for emerging markets, announced the leadership transition.
As part of this transition, the current leadership team of Amazon.in—comprising Saurabh Srivastava (Categories), Harsh Goyal (Everyday Essentials), Amit Nanda (Marketplace), and Aastha Jain (Growth Initiatives)—will report directly to Kumar. Kishore Thota (Emerging Markets Shopping Experience) will report to Amit Agarwal, Amazon’s Senior Vice President for Emerging Markets.
Commenting on the transition, Amit Agarwal, SVP for Emerging Markets, said, “I am deeply appreciative of Manish’s leadership in steering Amazon. in to become the de facto starting point for Indians to buy and sell anything online. I wish him the best for his next chapter.” India remains an important priority for Amazon, and I am super excited about the opportunity ahead as we continue to transform lives and livelihoods. We have a strong local leadership bench and, along with Samir’s experiences across Emerging Markets, I am even more optimistic about our future plans to deliver for customers and the business in India. Amit Agarwal SVP for Emerging Markets.”
