Amazon is moving Dharmesh Mehta, the 12-year leader of its Selling Partner Services division, into a technical advisor role reporting directly to CEO Andy Jassy. Amit Agarwal, a 27-year Amazon veteran currently running International Emerging Stores, will take over Mehta's responsibilities while keeping his existing portfolio.
The technical advisor role matters here. At Amazon, it's the standard path for executives being groomed for VP-level positions. You spend six to 18 months shadowing a senior leader, learning how they operate, then move into a bigger job. It's not a lateral move, it's a development assignment.
Mehta's track record justifies the investment. Since joining from Microsoft in 2013, he's overseen the third-party marketplace's growth to more than 60% of total units sold on Amazon. That's the core business now. His team built Fulfillment by Amazon, which moved 80 billion units last year, and the generative AI listing tools that 900,000 sellers now use.
The numbers tell the scaling story: 127,000-plus EU SME sellers exported €15 billion worth of goods to 230 countries in 2024. Supply Chain by Amazon, which Mehta's team launched, drives 20% higher conversion rates and moves 5 billion products annually through Amazon's logistics network.
Agarwal's expanded role consolidates emerging markets (India, Brazil, South Africa) with the global marketplace operation. He's been at Amazon since 1999 and knows how the machine works. The combination makes sense: emerging markets are where marketplace growth is happening, and seller tools need local context to work.
What this signals: Amazon sees the technical advisor pipeline working. The company uses these roles consistently, not randomly. When an exec with Mehta's results moves into the CEO's shadow program, it means Amazon is planning for the next layer of leadership succession.
The transition happens in March. Worth watching: how Agarwal integrates two major operations, and where Mehta lands when the shadow role ends. History suggests he'll be running something bigger than what he left.