Xiaomi India president Muralikrishnan steps down

Xiaomi India president Muralikrishnan steps down

Muralikrishnan B, President of Xiaomi India, has resigned from his leadership position at the leading smartphone brand as it seeks to regain its previous top rank in the Indian smartphone market.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Muralikrishnan has quit the company to further his academic goals, pursuing a doctorate at the Indian School of Business. He will take a six-month gardening leave following his departure.

Notably, Muralikrishnan's departure comes two months after the company appointed Sudhin Mathur, the former managing director of Motorola and Lenovo, as the chief operating officer. Mathur is in charge of driving the company’s vision, crafting a roadmap for growth, and sustaining the present momentum.

Xiaomi India has not responded to emails requesting comments.

Muralikrishnan, a former executive at Jabong, joined Xiaomi in 2018 as the Chief Operating Officer under Manu Kumar Jain, who was the head of Xiaomi India at the time. Initially, he focused on expanding the company's offline retail network. Later, he was promoted to oversee Xiaomi's operations, services, public affairs, and strategic initiatives.

His exit also comes as the company is under intense scrutiny from government agencies for alleged foreign exchange violations. The company has denied any wrongdoing and is currently in court.

China's Xiaomi lost its top position in the fourth quarter of 2022 after being the leader for the previous 20 quarters. The company faced intense competition from South Korea's Samsung and other Chinese brands from the BBK Group, Oppo, Vivo, and Realme.

The Chinese smartphone maker, which faced challenges in India due to slowing growth and conflicts with the government, has now climbed to the second position in terms of units shipped during the July-September quarter, according to Counterpoint Research. The company's shipments increased by 3 percent compared to the previous year, thanks to its balanced approach to both offline and online retail channels.

However, the company's sub-brand, Poco, is currently in dispute with offline retailers who have accused it of anti-competitive practices that they claim result in financial losses for the retailers and the government.