Xiaomi India's Director of offline sales resigns

Sunil Baby was awarded as one of the top 100 contributors to a decade of success at Xiaomi in 2020.

Xiaomi India's director of offline sales, Sunil Baby, has resigned. Baby is often credited to playing a key role in helping Xiaomi expand its offline presence in India. The former senior executive was also awarded as one of the top 100 contributors to a decade of success at Xiaomi in 2020.

Xiaomi India, in its statement, said that Baby decided to move on for personal reasons. "He was instrumental in shaping Xiaomi India’s offline sales and retail presence. With his strong leadership skills, he strengthened our connect with partners across the country,” a Xiaomi spokesperson said.

The company further confirmed that Xiaomi India’s COO, Muralikrishnan B, will oversee the offline sales and distribution. “We are confident we will continue to grow our offline presence with the guidance of abled existing leadership. We thank Sunil for his services and wish him luck for his future endeavours,” the company said in its statement.

Baby’s resignation comes during the time when Xiaomi is facing some heat from government agencies over charges of tax evasion. The company’s top chief, Manu Kumar Jain, recently stepped down from his position as Managing Director and moved to Dubai. Jain was recently summoned by the ED for investigation in a case where Xiaomi India remitted over 5,550 crores to foreign entities under the guise of royalty payments. The ongoing case is currently in court, where Xiaomi India was recently allowed to make payments for business purposes, except for royalty-related transactions.

Xiaomi India’s relationship with offline retailers has not been great either. Offline retailers have been protesting against the brand’s strategy to sell popular smartphones such as the Redmi Note series primarily online. Xiaomi, however, has often stated that it has prioritised its offline market equally.