Tech company hires first India president to run entire operation

Tech company, Uber, has showed its commitment to the South Asian market by appointing its first ‘President’ to head up its business in India which is the company's second largest market outside the US.

Reports reveal that Uber has hired Amit Jain, an IIT Delhi and Stanford graduate who was most recently President of U.S.-based Rent.com, the once eBay-owned real estate listings site. Jain, who lists TPG Capital and McKinsey as former employers, is charged with leading “all business strategy, operations, and growth in a market of global strategic importance for Uber,” the company said.

The move is an interestingly symbolic one, since Uber doesn’t tend to appoint figure heads to lead it in a country. It usually puts together smaller teams that run its business on a city-by-city basis.

“I’m thrilled to have Amit on board to lead our business in India,” said, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick  in a statement. “Success in India is a global priority for us, and I know Amit’s leadership and passion for Uber’s mission will be transformational as we redefine urban mobility for hundreds of millions of Indians.”

Jain also lauded Uber’s role “helping [to] create tens of thousands of new jobs [in India], empowering drivers with higher earnings potential and flexible work hours, and providing millions of consumers with a safe, reliable and convenient mode of transport.”