Amazon India’s Consumer Electronics Head, Ranjit Babu, has resigned following nearly three years at the company. Babu’s departure comes amid an ongoing restructuring process within Amazon India, as reported by ET, citing sources familiar with the matter. Inc42 has reached out to both Babu and Amazon India for comments, with the story to be updated based on their responses.
A Brief Overview of Ranjit Babu’s Career at Amazon India
Ranjit Babu joined Amazon India in 2021, where he held multiple leadership roles across departments such as selling partner experience, wireless and home entertainment, and consumer electronics. Based in Bengaluru, he played a pivotal role in driving the growth and strategy of Amazon India’s consumer electronics segment.
Babu’s relationship with Amazon spans two phases. Before rejoining Amazon in 2021, he worked with the company until July 2017. After his first stint, he moved to Cloudtail India, where he served as the Managing Director and CEO for a year. Babu’s professional journey spans over 22 years, primarily in the retail industry.
Resignations Amid Ongoing Restructuring
Babu’s resignation follows that of Manish Tiwary, Amazon India’s head of operations, who left the company after more than eight years. Both exits come at a time when Amazon India is in the midst of a larger strategic reshuffle aimed at reaffirming its market leadership in the country.
This restructuring is crucial as Amazon faces mounting competition from local players such as Flipkart, Reliance, and other emerging e-commerce and quick commerce startups. To maintain its edge, Amazon India is doubling down on significant investments, including the recent acquisition of a 38.18-acre land parcel in Palava, near Mumbai, from Lodha Group (Macrotech Developers) for over INR 450 crore. The land will be used to build a hyperscale data center to support its cloud services and e-commerce infrastructure in India.
Expanding Into Quick Commerce
In addition to its investments in infrastructure, Amazon India is also making moves into the rapidly growing quick commerce sector. The company is set to launch Tez, a new service aimed at delivering goods at lightning-fast speeds, by the end of this year or early next year. With this initiative, Amazon India hopes to compete with the likes of Swiggy and Zomato, which have already established a strong foothold in the quick commerce space.
A Wave of Top-Level Exits in the Industry
Babu’s resignation is part of a broader trend of top-level exits in India’s startup and corporate ecosystem this year. For example, Nihir Parikh, the CEO of Nykaa Fashion, also recently stepped down due to personal commitments. Additionally, in October, Sajith Sivanandan, head of Disney’s Hotstar India, resigned amid the ongoing integration of Reliance’s media assets following its $8.5 billion merger with Disney’s India operations.
These exits signal the ongoing leadership transitions and reshuffles happening across industries in India, including in major global corporations like Amazon, as they navigate both internal changes and an increasingly competitive market environment.
Conclusion
The resignation of Ranjit Babu adds to the growing list of senior exits at Amazon India and signals a significant shift as the company adapts to its evolving business strategy. As Amazon works to strengthen its position in India’s competitive e-commerce and tech landscape, the coming months will be crucial for its leadership team and overall growth trajectory.
