Amazon Fashion India head, Walmart Asia CEO step down

Two top executives have quit their respective positions in ecommerce companies Amazon and Walmart in as many days.

While Amazon Fashion saw the departure of its India business head Arun Sirdeshmukh, Dirk Van den Berghe reportedly stepped down from his position as Walmart’s Asia CEO.

An Amazon India spokesperson confirmed Sirdeshmukh’s resignation to TechCircle on Monday, but did not specify the timeline and the reason for his departure.

“We confirm that Arun Sirdeshmukh, business head of Amazon Fashion India, has decided to move on from Amazon India,” the spokesperson said in an emailed response. “We thank him for playing a pivotal role in making Amazon.in the single largest fashion destination in the country.”

Saurabh Srivastava, the current director for consumables and media at the ecommerce company, will take over Sirdeshmukh’s position with immediate effect, the spokesperson said. 

Read more: Amazon India offers ‘special recognition bonus’ to employees

Separately, Dirk Van den Berghe, who has been a part of the US multinational retail corporation Walmart since 2014, is set to retire in March 2021, The Economic Times reported, citing multiple people familiar with the matter and a company spokesperson. 

Walmart, which owns Indian ecommerce leader Flipkart, said Van den Berghe’s resignation was based on his desire to spend more time with his family in Europe. 

During the six-year stint, Van den Berghe led multiple roles at the company -- he was CEO of Walmart Canada and China. He also held the position of executive vice president, global sourcing and regional CEO of Asia, and oversaw Walmart’s Japan, India and China business units.

The industry veteran may also step down from the board of Flipkart, the ET report said. 

However, there is no official statement on the matter yet. TechCircle’s email to Walmart seeking confirmation and additional details was not answered at the time of publishing.

The corporate movements come at a time when both Walmart and Amazon continue to reap the benefits of Covid-19 demand shifts and the public’s growing transition to online shopping. 

During the Q3 earnings call last month, Walmart reported a 1.3% increase year-on-year in net sales from international operations, which stood at $29.6 billion for the quarter, led by strong growth at Flipkart. 

Amazon, on the other hand, drove 37% overall revenue growth to $96.14 billion for the third quarter.