What you need to know
- Xiaomi has brought in Alvin Tse to run its Indian business.
- Manu Kumar Jain, who oversaw Xiaomi India for eight years, is moving to a global role.
- Tse will work with Xiaomi's senior leadership to further the Chinese manufacturer's efforts in the country.
Xiaomi made its foray in India eight years ago, and for the last three years, it has been the number one handset manufacturer in the country. There were several factors that contributed to Xiaomi's growth in India — the brand knew what products to bring to the country, and it understood the needs of local users better than its immediate rivals. Of course, its ability to undercut everyone else allowed Xiaomi to gain a lot of market share in its initial years.
While there were several figures involved in Xiaomi's rise in India, none was more influential than Manu Kumar Jain. Jain oversaw Xiaomi's efforts in the country for the last eight years, and he was the de facto face of the brand. That's changing, however, as Jain is now moving to a global role as Group Vice President, with Xiaomi noting that he will be involved in International Marketing and PR.
This isn't a new move; Jain transitioned into the new role earlier this year, and in his absence Xiaomi India was run by its senior leadership consisting of Chief Operating Officer Muralikrishnan B, Chief Business Officer Raghu Reddy, and Chief Financial Officer Sameer BS Rao.
Xiaomi is now filling Jain's role, announcing that Alvin Tse will oversee the Indian market. Like Jain, Tse has been at Xiaomi for nearly a decade, and is one of the founding members of Xiaomi's global unit and the POCO sub-brand.
His most recent role involved being at the helm at Xiaomi Indonesia — another key market for the brand — but he's now moving to India to become the General Manager of Xiaomi India, where he will oversee the brand's "next phase of growth:"
"Being a British national and true global citizen, Alvin has helped Xiaomi expand successfully into many global markets. Educated at Stanford University and having worked across four of the largest smartphone and internet markets in the world, Alvin enjoys bridging markets, people, and opportunities."
Xiaomi also announced that Anuj Sharma — the current head of POCO India — will be returning to Xiaomi India as its Chief Marketing Officer, where he will oversee branding and marketing strategy.
These moves come at a time when Xiaomi is seeing increased regulatory scrutiny in India, and facing intense rivalry in key segments from the likes of Realme and Samsung.
