Xiaomi India president Muralikrishnan resigns as brand aims to reclaim smartphone market leadership

Moneycontrol reported, citing sources, that Muralikrishnan left to pursue a doctorate at the Indian School of Business, and he will be on a six-month gardening leave following his departure.

His exit follows the recent appointment of Sudhin Mathur, former managing director of Motorola and Lenovo, as Xiaomi’s chief operating officer (COO).

Mathur’s role involves driving Xiaomi’s strategic vision and growth plans in India.

Alvin Tse, the general manager for Xiaomi India since 2022, has been overseeing operations remotely from China, and Mathur is expected to become the company's primary representative in India, reports Moneycontrol.

An official announcement regarding Muralikrishnan’s departure is anticipated later on Tuesday (Nov. 5), though Xiaomi India has not responded to requests for comment, as per reports.

Muralikrishnan, who previously worked with Jabong, joined Xiaomi in 2018 as Chief Operating Officer under then-head Manu Kumar Jain.

His initial focus was on expanding Xiaomi’s offline retail presence, later broadening to manage operations, public affairs, and strategy for the brand.

The leadership change comes amid legal scrutiny over alleged foreign exchange violations, which Xiaomi has contested in court.

After leading India’s smartphone market for 20 quarters, Xiaomi lost its top spot in Q4 2022 due to fierce competition from Samsung and BBK Group brands, including Oppo, Vivo, and Realme.

However, according to Counterpoint Research, Xiaomi has since reclaimed the second position in unit shipments for Q3 2024, benefiting from a balanced approach to online and offline retail.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi’s sub-brand, Poco, faces challenges with offline retailers who accuse it of anti-competitive practices that they argue cause financial losses for retailers and affect the government, as per reports.