Amazon‘s China Boss Doug Gurr is to succeed Chris North as Managing Director of Amazon UK. The new boss will take on the role next month following a handover period with North.
Gurr has been at Amazon since North took the helm in 2011 and has served as President of Amazon‘s China arm for two years. Gurr joined Amazon from Asda.
The etailer confirmed that Gurr‘s new role will include overseeing Amazon‘s 10 fulfilment centres, its research and development services and the launch of its UK data centre which is expected to open next year.
“I‘m delighted to be returning to Amazon in the UK to lead our continued investment in Britain and innovation on behalf of customers, small businesses, authors and other content creators” Gurr said.
“Doug has a deep knowledge of Amazon‘s business and is ideally placed to provide both continuity and progression in the UK as we continue to focus on providing our customers with ever better selection, value and convenience” said Xavier Garambois, Vice President of European Retail.
Amazon‘s UK boss revealed last month that he was departing from Amazon after five years as UK Managing Director and 10 years with the etailer. North‘s most notable advancement at Amazon was the launch of Amazon Prime and its one hour delivery service for its London customers. The UK boss leaves the company in its prime, at a time where competitors are eager to keep up with the leading retailer.
Under the new boss, Amazon plans to extend its workforce by creating over 2,500 new permanent jobs this year, resulting in a total of over 14,500 full time permanent employees in the UK alone.
