Samir Kumar named Amazon India's country manager after Manish Tiwary's exit

Samir Kumar will take on the new role from October 1, 2024, while continuing his existing responsibilities in leading Amazon's consumer businesses across the West Asia, South Africa, and Turkey

Amazon’s 25-year-veteran Samir Kumar will take over the reins of its India consumer business as the company undergoes a leadership transition following the resignation of Manish Tiwary, the retail giant said in a release on Wednesday.

Who is Samir Kumar?

Samir Kumar has been with Amazon since 1999 and was a key member of the team that helped launch Amazon.in in 2013. His extensive experience within the company will be instrumental in his new role, overseeing operations in one of Amazon’s largest markets. Kumar currently leads Amazon’s consumer businesses across West Asia, South Africa, and Turkey.

He will assume his new role on October 1, 2024, while also continuing his existing responsibilities in these regions.

As part of this leadership shift, Amazon India’s key executives, including Saurabh Srivastava (categories), Harsh Goyal (everyday essentials), Amit Nanda (marketplace), and Aastha Jain (growth initiatives), will now report to Kumar. Kishore Thota, responsible for emerging markets shopping experience, will report directly to Agarwal, the company said.

Commenting on the future of Amazon India, Amit Agarwal, Amazon’s senior vice-president for emerging markets said, “India remains an important priority for Amazon, and I am excited about the opportunity ahead as we continue to transform lives and livelihoods. With Samir’s extensive experience across emerging markets, I am even more optimistic about the future and our plans to deliver for both customers and the business in India.”

Manish Tiwari steps down

Samir Kumar will be replacing Manish Tiwari. Tiwary, who has been with Amazon India for eight-and-a-half years, announced his decision to leave in early August. He is set to explore new opportunities outside of Amazon but will remain with the company until October to ensure a smooth transition.

During his tenure, Tiwary played a pivotal role in growing Amazon’s consumer business in India, focusing on seller services and transforming the way Indians shop online. Before joining Amazon in 2016, he had worked at Unilever.

Agarwal praised Tiwary’s contributions, saying, “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.”