Xiaomi India president Muralikrishnan B has stepped down from his leadership role in the the country's leading smartphone company which is seeing a turnaround in its fortunes.
According to people aware of the development, Muralikrishnan is stepping down for personal reasons, to continue his academic pursuit. The executive is pursuing a doctorate at the Indian School of Business.
Industry sources said Muralikrishnan will be going on gardening leave for six months after his exit from the company. The exit is likely to be formally announced later Tuesday.
Xiaomi India did not respond to emails seeking comments.
Ex-Jabong executive Muralikrishnan joined Xiaomi in 2018 as the Chief Operating Officer under former India head Manu Kumar Jain. The executive was initially responsible for scaling up offline retail for the company, and was later elevated to handle operations, services, public affairs, and strategic projects.
Xiaomi India recently appointed two senior executives to execute a strategic shift in its sales and distribution, and the premiumisation push. The company appointed former Samsung senior executive Kunal Agarwal in February 2024, as the deputy sales head, in charge of expanding the company’s reach in offline retail.
In September 2024, the company announced the appointment of former managing director of Motorola and Lenovo, Sudhin Mathur as the chief operating officer. In a press release, Xiaomi India said Mathur will be in charge of driving the company’s vision and crafting a roadmap for growth and sustaining the present momentum.
Xiaomi India climbed to the second spot in terms of volumes shipped in the July-September quarter, according to Counterpoint Research, with shipments rising 3% on-year, driven by its balanced focus on offline and online retail channels, the research firm said.
The spurt in volumes come after a realignment in strategy that included cutting down a cluttered portfolio, and focus on offline retail, after the company lost its leadership position in 2022 amidst intense scrutiny from government agencies for alleged foreign exchange violations. The company has denied any wrongdoing. The matter is in court.
In a recent interview with ET, outgoing president Muralikrishnan said the worst is behind the company.
“There was a time when short term challenges became predominant in our thinking, because they were existential questions. That’s behind. And now we are in a position to think far more long term — Foundation building, strengthening relationships, strengthening the brand, talent development,” he said.
According to people aware of the development, Muralikrishnan is stepping down for personal reasons, to continue his academic pursuit. The executive is pursuing a doctorate at the Indian School of Business.
Industry sources said Muralikrishnan will be going on gardening leave for six months after his exit from the company. The exit is likely to be formally announced later Tuesday.
Xiaomi India did not respond to emails seeking comments.
Ex-Jabong executive Muralikrishnan joined Xiaomi in 2018 as the Chief Operating Officer under former India head Manu Kumar Jain. The executive was initially responsible for scaling up offline retail for the company, and was later elevated to handle operations, services, public affairs, and strategic projects.
Xiaomi India recently appointed two senior executives to execute a strategic shift in its sales and distribution, and the premiumisation push. The company appointed former Samsung senior executive Kunal Agarwal in February 2024, as the deputy sales head, in charge of expanding the company’s reach in offline retail.
In September 2024, the company announced the appointment of former managing director of Motorola and Lenovo, Sudhin Mathur as the chief operating officer. In a press release, Xiaomi India said Mathur will be in charge of driving the company’s vision and crafting a roadmap for growth and sustaining the present momentum.
Xiaomi India climbed to the second spot in terms of volumes shipped in the July-September quarter, according to Counterpoint Research, with shipments rising 3% on-year, driven by its balanced focus on offline and online retail channels, the research firm said.
The spurt in volumes come after a realignment in strategy that included cutting down a cluttered portfolio, and focus on offline retail, after the company lost its leadership position in 2022 amidst intense scrutiny from government agencies for alleged foreign exchange violations. The company has denied any wrongdoing. The matter is in court.
In a recent interview with ET, outgoing president Muralikrishnan said the worst is behind the company.
“There was a time when short term challenges became predominant in our thinking, because they were existential questions. That’s behind. And now we are in a position to think far more long term — Foundation building, strengthening relationships, strengthening the brand, talent development,” he said.
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