NEW DELHI: After a nine-year-long association with Chinese tech giant Xiaomi, Manu Kumar Jain announced his exit from the company. Jain, who was the face of Xiaomi brand in India, said he would soon update his next professional journey.
“Over the next few months, I will take some time off, before taking up my next professional challenge. I am a builder at heart and would love to build something new, ideally in a new industry,” said Jain in a statement.
Jain joined the company in 2014 when it was trying to establish itself in India. Within the next few years, Xiaomi became a top mobile brand in the country. The company was known for offering popular and affordable smartphones and best-in-class hardware at the best rates.
In fact, the company always found itself among the top three smartphone vendors in the country. The brand operates with three titles: Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco.
“I joined Xiaomi Group in 2014 to start its India journey. The first few years were full of ups & downs… We were the smallest among the hundreds of smartphone brands, that too with limited resources and no prior relevant industry experience. But due to the efforts of a fantastic team. we were able to build it into one of the most loved brands in India,” added Jain.
Last year, central probe agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized over Rs 5,500 crore from Xiaomi over violations of Indian foreign exchange law. Jain was also part of the investigation as the ED summoned him. In 2021, Jain moved his base to Dubai to serve as Global VP. Last time, Jain made a surprise appearance at the Redmi Note 12 series launch in India in January 2023.