Amazon names Samir Kumar as new India head

Amazon.com named Samir Kumar as its new India head on Wednesday, handing the reins to a 25-year company veteran as the e-commerce giant faces intense competition and regulatory pressures in the country.

Kumar was part of a team that launched Amazon India in 2013 and will take over from Manish Tiwary on Oct. 1. He currently heads Amazon's consumer businesses in the Middle East, South Africa, and Turkey.

Amazon had said without elaborating further that Tiwary resigned last month after an eight-year stint to pursue an opportunity outside the company.

The change in leadership comes as the U.S. e-commerce giant is fast expanding in India, with plans to invest up to $26 billion by 2030, even as it faces intense regulatory scrutiny.

Reuters reported last week that India's antitrust body found that Amazon and its biggest local rival, Flipkart, violated laws by preferring select sellers, prioritising certain listings, and steeply discounting products, hurting other companies.

The regulator could impose fines on the companies along with mandating them to change their business practices.