Xiaomi India names Alvin Tse as India head

Xiaomi is elevating Alvin Tse, a veteran at the firm, as the General Manager for its India business as the Chinese technology group bolsters its efforts to fight increasing competition from rivals including Samsung and looks to smoothen its relationship with New Delhi.

The appointment of Tse (pictured above), who until recently led Xiaomi’s Indonesia business, follows the transition of Manu Kumar Jain, the previous head of Xiaomi India, to a globe role as Group VP. India is Xiaomi’s largest international market.

Under Jain’s leadership Xiaomi grew from being yet another upstart to the largest smartphone maker in India, a position it has largely maintained for over three years. He left his India leadership position last year.

Tse is no stranger to the India, either. He was instrumental in shaping Xiaomi’s strategy and execution in its early days, according to people familiar with the matter, and has over the years served multiple roles at the firm. Tse, who is also an angel investor in several Indian startups, was also one of the founding members at Poco, a sub-brand Xiaomi launched before spinning it out as an independent business.

“Post his transition, Alvin will join hands with the Xiaomi India leadership team and support the company’s next phase of growth. Being a British national and true global citizen, Alvin has helped Xiaomi expand successfully into many global markets,” the company said in a statement.

Xiaomi also announced that Anuj Sharma, a former Motorola executive who has also previously worked at Xiaomi and moved to Poco over two years ago, is rejoining the Chinese giant as Chief Marketing Officer.

“With their guidance, Xiaomi India will continue to stay true to its core philosophy of relentlessly building amazing products with honest prices such that everyone in the world can enjoy a better lifestyle through innovative technology,” the company said. Tech Crunch