Apple’s India Head of Sales Sanjay Kaul departs amid reports of poor turnover

Sanjay Kaul is being replaced by the company veteran Michel Coulomb.

Apple’s India Head of Sales Sanjay Kaul steps down. (REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade)

Apple's Head of Sales in India Sanjay Kaul has stepped down from his position, according to industry sources. He will be succeeded by Michel Coulomb, who has been associated with the company for more than a decade.

Kaul's departure comes at a time when the company reportedly is under pressure due to slow sales in India, especially in the recent quarter.

The company is said to be adversely impacted by the demonetisation drive late last year and underwhelming demand for its latest smartphones, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X.

Apple India posted sales of ₹11,619 crore ($1.8 billion) for the year ended March 2017, up from ₹9,937 crore in the year-ago period (translating to roughly 17% growth), Reuters reported last week. The numbers, however, are significantly down from the 40% growth rate the company had maintained in the country.

During the company's earnings call last month, CEO Tim Cook had said, "...revenue from emerging markets outside of greater China was up 40%, with great momentum in India, where revenue doubled year over year."

The company had also to bear the brunt of the Indian government's decision to increase the import duty tax on mobile phones from 10% to 15%.

Apple on Monday updated prices of its iPhones, excluding iPhone SE that is assembled in India. The company, however, marginally, by approximately 3.5%, inflated the price of its device.

Apple has been aggressively targeting India as its next major market after the Western and China markets have hit a saturation point. The company has already opened a development centre in Hyderabad. It is also assembling its affordable iPhone SE locally. Apple, however, is still in negotiations with the Indian government over getting authorisation to open direct retail stores, known as Apple Stores.