Amazon loses two Black executives, new CEO announced

Critics have also previously pointed out the lack of diversity among the executives of the e-commerce giant

Amazon loses two Black executives, new CEO announced

Two Black executives are departing e-commerce giant Amazon, according to reports, following the news of reorganisation within the retail giant.

MarketWatch reported that Alicia Boler-Davis, a vice president who oversees the company's warehouses, and David Bozeman, the vice president of Amazon's Transportation services, are leaving Amazon.

Boler-Davis, who is part of Amazon's senior leadership circle dubbed as the S-Team, was described by John Felton as "an impressive and impactful leader through an unprecedented time."

Bozeman, on the other hand, has been hailed for expanding Amazon's transportation services amid COVID-19.

"He has been instrumental in building and developing our middle mile network and setting us up for success," he said as quoted by CNBC.

Their departure further reduces the number of Black executives within the retail giant, which is about 5.5% of its leadership team, according to company data as of the end of 2021. Critics have also previously pointed out the lack of diversity among the executives of the e-commerce giant.

Davis and Bozeman’s departure also follows the news of reorganisation within Amazon, including the appointment of a new chief executive officer of Worldwide Stores.

Read more: Amazon HR: ‘Inclusion is the norm for all’

New executives

CEO Andy Jassy announced on Tuesday that long-time executive Doug Herrington is promoted as the CEO of Worldwide Stores. Herrington first joined Amazon in 2005 to build its Consumables business, launched AmazonFresh in 2007, and led the North American Consumer business in 2015.

"Doug and I have worked together on S-team since 2011. He is a builder of great teams and brings substantial retail, grocery, demand generation, product development, and Amazon experience to bear," said Jassy on a company blog post.

"He's also a terrific inventor for customers, thinks big, has thoughtful vision around how category management and ops can work well together, is a unifier, is highly curious, and an avid learner. I think Doug will do great things for customers and employees alike, and I look forward to working with him in this leadership role," he added.

Meanwhile, Jassy also announced John Felton will be leading the unified Operations organisation of Amazon.

"John has strong end-to-end knowledge of our Fulfillment network, operates with an important mix of strategic thinking and a command of the details that matter most in our network, is right a lot, and is a strong team builder who is dedicated to making Amazon a great place to work for our employees," said the CEO.

Felton is another long-time executive of Amazon with 18 years under his belt. He spent 12 years of them in Retail and Operations finance leadership roles, before becoming the Vice President of Global Customer Fulfillment in 2018. He took over the newly formed Global Delivery Services group in 2019, before joining the S-Team in September 2020.

According to Jassy, Felton will report to Herrington, including Russ Grandinetti (International Stores), Christine Beauchamp (North America Stores), Tony Hoggett (Physical Stores), Dave Treadwell (eCommerce Foundation), Neil Lindsay (Pharmacy/AmazonCare/Healthcare), Dharmesh Mehta (Selling Partner Services), Peter Larsen (Buy with Prime), and Pat Bajari (Chief Economist).

In his statement, the Amazon CEO expressed confidence in his leadership team, describing them as "strong" and "experienced."

"This is a very strong and experienced leadership team. I remain very optimistic about our Stores business and believe we're still in the early days of what's possible," he added.

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