Apple to shake up sales operations to enhance focus on India

To enhance its focus on India, Apple Inc is reshuffling management of its international businesses, hinting at the growing significance of the country for the tech giant, according to a Bloomberg report.

The shift will mark the first time that India becomes its own sales region at Apple, which has witnessed demand surge in the country. Pleading anonymity, sources said the move will give India increased prominence inside Apple Inc. Apple is making the change after the recent retirement of its vice president Hugues Asseman who was in charge of India, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, East Europe and Africa.

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With his departure, the iPhone maker is promoting its head of India Ashish Chowdhary who reported to Asseman. Chowdhary will now report directly to Michael Fenger, Apple’s head of product sales. However, a company spokesman declined to comment.

The company posted record revenue in India last quarter, though its total sales slipped 5%. Apple has created an online store to serve the region and is planning to open its first retail outlets in the country later this year. On the last earnings call, CEO Tim Cook said the company is putting “a lot of emphasis on the market” and compared the current state of its work in India to its early years in China.

“We are, in essence, taking what we learned in China years ago and how we scale to China and bringing that to bear,” he said. China currently generates roughly $75 billion a year for Apple, making it the company’s biggest sales region after America and Europe.

Also read: Apple CEO Tim Cook bullish on India

In addition to serving as a sales engine for Apple, India is also becoming more critical to the company’s product development. Key suppliers are moving to the region, and Apple is working with manufacturing partner Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, also known as Foxconn, to set up new iPhone production facilities in the country, Bloomberg News has reported.

Apple’s sales and international teams are split between Fenger and another vice president, Doug Beck. Fenger oversees hardware, services and enterprise sales globally, while Beck is in charge of the health, education and government segments. Both executives report to Cook, but neither are showcased alongside the CEO’s other direct lieutenants on Apple’s website.