Singapore-based Amazon execs feel the brunt of job cuts

RECENT job cuts from US e-commerce titan Amazon have affected executive staff in Asia Pacific, Campaign reported.

They include Sunil Yadav, who was Amazon Ads’ head of commercial for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa as well as South-east Asia; and Elliot Renton, sales leader for the Asia-Pacific media, entertainment, and sports industry team at Amazon Web Services (AWS). Both execs are based in Singapore.

Yadav confirmed his exit from Amazon but declined to share more details with Campaign. Meanwhile, an Amazon spokesperson told the publication that despite the layoffs, the company will continue hiring for “targeted areas based on customer needs”.

The development follows job cuts in Prime Video, Amazon’s streaming platform, in South-east Asia – with the company winding down its original productions in the region to focus more on licensing.

According to a 2022 study by market analyst Canalys, AWS leads Asia Pacific’s cloud market with an estimated 32 per cent market share. It’s followed by Microsoft Azure at 26 per cent and Google Cloud at 9 per cent.

While Amazon Ads has been quieter in the region, Amazon did announce in 2019 that it would be expanding its advertising presence in Asia. TECH IN ASIA