Samir Kumar

Samir Kumar is the Country Manager of Amazon India, leading Amazon's consumer business in the country. He took over operational responsibility for India in October 2024 after more than two decades at Amazon and remains one of the executives most closely associated with the development of Amazon's international consumer businesses.

Early career at Amazon

Kumar studied electrical engineering at the National Institute of Technology Rourkela and later earned a master's degree from Utah State University. He joined Amazon in 1999 as a systems engineer, when the company was still in an earlier stage of its global expansion.

His Amazon career moved across technical, finance and business roles. In an Amazon interview, Kumar described spending time as a financial analyst, later returning to product and engineering work as a software development manager, and then serving as a technical adviser to a senior Amazon executive. These assignments gave him experience across both the technology and commercial sides of the company.

Building Amazon in India

Kumar's connection with Amazon's India operations began before the launch of Amazon.in. He has said that he worked with Amit Agarwal on Amazon's development-centre efforts in India in 2004. He returned to India in 2012 as Amazon prepared its consumer marketplace for the country.

Kumar was part of the original leadership team that planned and launched Amazon.in in 2013. The marketplace went live on 5 June that year, beginning with about 100 sellers. He subsequently held senior roles in the India consumer business, including responsibility for categories and other parts of the marketplace operation.

In 2016, Kumar moved from India into broader international roles. He went on to lead Amazon's consumer businesses across emerging markets and helped expand Amazon Stores into additional countries.

Return as India Country Manager

Amazon announced in September 2024 that Kumar would return to lead its India consumer business, succeeding Manish Tiwary. He assumed operational responsibility from 1 October 2024 while continuing to carry responsibilities across other international markets.

As Country Manager, his remit covers the core Amazon.in consumer business, including marketplace growth, seller experience, selection and delivery speed. Amazon has also expanded newer India offerings during his tenure, including Amazon Bazaar, Amazon Pharmacy and the Amazon Now quick-commerce service.

Kumar is not the founder of Amazon India. His role is more accurately described as a long-serving Amazon executive who helped launch the India marketplace and later returned to lead it.