Ashish Chowdhary became the leader of Apple in India in April 2019.
Apple is the first company to sell more than $5 billion worth of goods made in India. In 2023, they exported phones worth Rs 40,000 crore. Apple had some problems in China, so now they are putting more effort into making things in India. This year, all smartphone exports from India were worth $10 billion, which is the first time it has ever been that high. Samsung also exported $4 billion worth of phones from India. India is also selling phones to other rich countries like the UK, Italy, Japan, and Germany. One of the people responsible for making Apple successful in India is Ashish Chowdhary.
As per ET, Apple is now making phones not just for export, but also for sale in India. In 2020, only 1% of iPhones were made in India, but that has now increased to 5%. Despite this growth, China still makes the majority of iPhones.
Apple, which is the world’s second-largest iPhone manufacturer, is planning to open its stores in Mumbai and Delhi on April 18 and April 20. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, is scheduled to attend the store launch, indicating the importance of India to Apple’s operations. Apple is currently producing iPhones 12, 13, and 14 in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, and it may also start manufacturing AirPods in India. According to a report by ET, in March 2023, Apple exported around 1 billion dollars worth of iPhones from India.
Reports indicate that Apple is undergoing a reorganization of its leadership team for international markets to prioritize India. Hugues Asseman, the vice president in charge of India, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, East Europe, and Africa, recently retired. The company is now said to be promoting Ashish Chowdhary, the head of India, to take his place, and he will report to Michael Fenger, Apple’s global sales head.
Who is Ashish Chowdhary?
In December 2003, Ashish Chowdhary joined Nokia as its Chief Customer Operations Officer. He later became the country head of Apple in April 2019.
Ashish Chowdhary also served as a member of Nokia Networks’ executive board and as the head of Global Services at Nokia Siemens Networks.
He was recruited by Apple in April 2019 to boost the company’s stagnating sales in India and has since been successful in increasing Apple’s sales in the country.
Ashish Chowdhary, born in 1965 in Delhi, is a mathematics graduate from Delhi University. He further pursued his master’s degree in Computer Science from Emory University and a business administration degree from Wharton School, Pennsylvania University, United States.
Chowdhary served as the head of Nokia Networks’ India operations until 2007.
