NEW DELHI: Xiaomi India, which is being probed by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) and other government agencies, on Friday announced various organisational changes “for the next phase of growth”.
Alvin Tse, a Xiaomi Global founding team member, POCO founding member, and former general manager of Xiaomi Indonesia, will assume the role of general manager, Xiaomi India. Being a British national and true global citizen, Alvin has helped Xiaomi expand successfully into many global markets, the smartphone maker said.
Anuj Sharma, who was previously appointed as Poco India’s country director, will be rejoining Xiaomi India as its chief marketing officer. The company also said Manu Kumar Jain, Xiaomi’s face in India, transitioned to a global role as Group vice-president who is currently responsible for international strategy including international marketing and PR.
The appointment comes a month after the ED seized Rs 5,551.27 crore from bank accounts of Xiaomi India in connection with the ‘illegal outward remittances’. The order, however, was stayed by the Karnataka high court. Xiaomi India, one of India’s leading smartphone sellers, maintains that it acts according to the local laws and hasn’t been involved in any wrongdoing.
It has also accused ED officials of making threats of physical violence during the investigation, which was termed ‘baseless’ by the agency. In April this year, Jain had appeared before the ED in connection with a probe linked to the alleged contravention of foreign exchange law. Xiaomi’s tussle with Indian authorities comes in the backdrop of a worsening relationship between India and China and the crackdown of Chinese tech companies in India by the central government.