Mumbai: Samir Kumar, who has been with Amazon for 25 years, will take over as head of its India consumer business following the resignation of Manish Tiwary, the company announced on Wednesday.

Kumar, who joined Amazon in 1999 and played a pivotal role in launching Amazon.in in 2013, brings extensive experience to his new position overseeing one of Amazon's largest markets.

Kumar currently manages Amazon’s consumer operations in West Asia, South Africa, and Turkey, and will continue in these roles alongside his new responsibilities in India starting October 1, 2024.

As part of the leadership transition, key executives in Amazon India—including Saurabh Srivastava (categories), Harsh Goyal (everyday essentials), Amit Nanda (marketplace), and Aastha Jain (growth initiatives)—will now report to Kumar. Meanwhile, Kishore Thota, who handles emerging markets shopping experience, will report directly to Agarwal.

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.”

Samir Kumar will be replacing Manish Tiwary, who announced his decision to leave Amazon India after eight-and-a-half years in early August. Tiwary plans to pursue new opportunities outside the company but will stay on until October to ensure a smooth leadership transition.

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."