Sept 18 (Reuters) - Amazon.com ( AMZN ) named 25-year

veteran Samir Kumar as its new India head on Wednesday,

replacing Manish Tiwary who stepped down after an eight-year

stint last month.

Kumar, who was part of the team that launched Amazon India

in 2013, will take over from Tiwary on Oct. 1 in addition to his

current role of heading Amazon's ( AMZN ) consumer businesses in the

Middle East, South Africa and Turkey.

Amazon ( AMZN ) had previously said Tiwary had resigned to pursue an

opportunity outside the company, without elaborating.

The change in leadership comes as Amazon ( AMZN ) is fast expanding

in India where it plans to invest $26 billion by 2030, but also

faces a strict regulatory environment that forces it to run only

a marketplace.

"India remains an important priority for Amazon ( AMZN ), and I am

super excited about the opportunity ahead," Amit Agarwal, senior

vice president for emerging markets at Amazon ( AMZN ), said.