By Sai Ishwarbharath B and VarunVyas Hebbalalu
(Reuters) -Amazon.com named Samir Kumar as its new head of India on Wednesday, handing the reins to a 25-year business veteran, as the e-commerce giant faces fierce competition and regulatory pressure in the country.
Kumar was part of a team that launched Amazon (NASDAQ:) India in 2013 and will take over from Manish Tiwary on October 1, in addition to his current role as head of Amazon’s consumer business in the Middle East, South Africa and Turkey .
Tiwary resigned last month, after a stint of eight years, to pursue an opportunity outside the company, Amazon had said, without elaborating.
The change in leadership comes as the US e-commerce giant is rapidly expanding in India, with plans to invest up to $26 billion by 2030 even as the country faces intense scrutiny.
Last week, Reuters reported that India’s antitrust agency found that Amazon and its biggest local rival Flipkart broke laws by favoring select sellers, prioritizing certain deals and deeply discounting products, hurting other businesses.
A lawmaker from India’s ruling party and a key group of retailers had also urged the country’s government to suspend the operations of Amazon and Flipkart in light of the antitrust violations.
“There have been rumors from the ruling politicians about how Amazon is influencing small merchants and even consumers, and abusing its warehouse workers. Samir will have to deal with the fallout of the regulations,” said Jaspreet Bindra, founder of technology consultancy Tech Whisperer.
