The “Internet Plus” model helped Xiaomi achieve the company’s goals of increasing operations efficiency as well as developing better products and innovative solutions. (Photo : Getty Images)
China's smartphone maker Xiaomi Inc. has appointed Manu Kumar Jain as its new global vice president, replacing Hugo Barra who ditched the post in January.
Aside from replacing Barra as the company's new VP, Jain will also be managing director at Xiaomi India, according to Gadgets 360.
Jain, who is the co-founder of Indian e-commerce company Jabong, joined Xiaomi in June 2014. He was able to boost Xiaomi's presence in the Indian market, helping sell 2.5 million to 3 million smartphones per quarter throughout his stint, according to China Tech News. Nearly 75 percent of those handsets were India-made.
Under Jain's leadership, Xiaomi submitted a license application for a branded retail store in India. With the approval expected within the next few months, the company is poised to further expand its presence in the country.
Currently, Xiaomi has a 30 percent share of the Indian smartphones market.
India has quickly become one of the most important markets among mobile phone makers, especially for China companies. Four of the top five best-selling smartphone makers in the last quarter of 2016 come from China, with Xiaomi, Oppo, Lenovo/Motorola and Vivo occupying the said spots along with South Korea's Samsung Electronics. Meanwhile, local players Micromax and Intel got elbowed out.
Mi India, the official Twitter account of Xiaomi India, welcomed Jain's promotion in a tweet.
"@manukumarjain, congratulations from the entire Xiaomi family on your promotion to Vice President of Xiaomi!," the account wrote.
Meanwhile, Barra joined Facebook after his three-and-a-half-year stint with Xiaomi. Barra, one of Xiaomi's high-profile hires, was the face of the company at various global events, Gadgets 360 wrote. Thus, his exit was taken by some as a sign that the company was in trouble. It was also seen as a blow to Xiaomi's overseas expansion plans.
