Amazon.com India’s country head Manish Tiwary has resigned after an eight-year stint and will leave the e-commerce giant in October, the company said on Tuesday.
His resignation comes as Amazon is fast expanding in India where it plans to invest $26 billion by 2030, but also faces a strict regulatory environment that forces it to run only a marketplace.
Tiwary has decided to pursue an opportunity outside of the company, Amazon said, without elaborating, and will stay at the company until October to ensure a smooth transition. Tiwary did not immediately respond to a query seeking comment.
Amazon has not immediately named a successor for the top job in India, a source familiar with the matter said.
Amit Agarwal, senior vice-president for emerging markets, will remain closely involved with the India team, Amazon said in its statement, noting “India is an important priority”.
The e-commerce giant is currently facing an antitrust investigation for favouring select sellers on its India website, an allegation it denies.
In 2021, Reuters reported that the company ran a systematic campaign of creating knockoff goods and manipulating search results to boost its own product lines in India — practices it has denied engaging in.
``Manish Tiwary, country manager for Amazon India, has decided to pursue an opportunity outside of the company. Manish’s leadership over the last eight years has been instrumental in delivering for customers and sellers, making Amazon.in the preferred marketplace in India,” a statement from Amazon India said.
“We are excited by the momentum and business results we have already achieved in India, and we are even more optimistic about the significant opportunities ahead to innovate on behalf of our customers and digitally transform lives and livelihoods,” the statement said.
Tiwary had joined Amazon India in 2016 after a long stint with Unilever.
His departure comes at a time Amazon India is facing intense competition from rivals such as Walmart-owned Flipkart and Reliance Jio but also various other players such as Meesho, Blinkit, Swiggy and Zepto.
Flipkart on Monday launched its quick commerce service `Minutes’ in Bengaluru. The service is reportedly delivering groceries, smartphones and other products in certain areas of the tech city within 16 minutes.
Amazon India on Tuesday kicked off its `Great Freedom Festival’ which will last till August 11. During this period, various products will be available at a discount of up to 75 per cent. It also includes offers on products such as iPhone13, OnePlus 12R and Moto Razr 50.
Tiwary had joined Amazon India in 2016 after a long stint with Unilever. He had around 20 years of experience with the FMCG major in various sales, marketing, and general management roles.
He holds a management degree from Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore and a Bachelor’s degree in computer science from BITS.
