Xiaomi appoints global founding team member Alvin Tse to lead India

Xiaomi is restructuring its India leadership team. Alvin Tse, one of the founding team members of Xiaomi Global, will take charge as the general manager of Xiaomi India. A British national, Tse was earlier the general manager of Xiaomi Indonesia and has played a key role in the company’s expansion in many global markets, according to Xiaomi.  

Anuj Sharma, who was the country director of Poco India, will rejoin Xiaomi India and take charge as the chief marketing officer. Xiaomi India said that he will play an instrumental role in "bolstering Xiaomi's connect with consumers" in India. 

“Alvin will join hands with the Xiaomi India leadership team and support the company's next phase of growth. Educated at Stanford University and has worked across four of the largest smartphone and internet markets in the world, Alvin enjoys bridging markets, people, and opportunities,” Xiaomi said in a statement. 

Tse did his BS in Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University, US, according to his Linkedin profile. 

Under his leadership, Xiaomi became the number second smartphone brand in Indonesia in CY 2021, growing year-on-year (YoY) by 34%, according to a March report by International Data Corporation (IDC). Tse was the general manager of Xiaomi Indonesia since October 2019. 

Tse was also the head of Xiaomi's sister brand Poco Global between March 2018 and November 2020. He was the head of marketing for Xiaomi Europe before that. 

Prior to Tse’s appointment as head of India operations, the Chinese company’s India operations were being handled by chief operating officer Muralikrishnan B, chief business officer Raghu Reddy, and chief financial officer Sameer BS Rao. The trio will continue to be a strong driving force behind the brand, the company said. 

Manu Jain, who led Xiaomi India for seven years, had moved to a global role as group vice president last year and was operating from Dubai. He was in charge of International Strategy including International Marketing and PR. However, he was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of India in May in an investigation into an alleged violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). ED has accused Xiaomi India of illegally transferring funds to three entities outside India in the name of royalty payments.  

Last month, ED also seized assets worth over ₹5,500 crore from Xiaomi India. 

Electronics Industry bodies and tech companies have defended Xiaomi. Early this week, India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) said that the law enforcement agencies lack knowledge of technology royalty payments. The body urged the central government to intervene. According to a Bloomberg report, the body said that accusing companies of illicit royalty payments could have a “chilling effect" on business in the country. 

Xiaomi’s India business includes smartphones, laptops, smartwatches, and several IOT devices for homes such as air purifiers, water purifiers, and smart cameras. However, smartphones account for 63.6% of the company’s global revenue, according to a May report by Counterpoint Research. 

India is the biggest market for Xiaomi outside China. The company leads the smartphone market in India and as per IDC, shipped 8.5 million smartphones in the first quarter of CY 2022, accounting for 23.3% of the market. Samsung with a 19% market share and 7 million shipments is the second leading smartphone brand in India.