Apple has named Michel Coulomb as the new head of sales for the company in India. The announcement comes after Sanjay Kaul stepped down from the post with immediate effect. Apple has had a bad quarter, its worst in a few years, and could come in for more pressure as new taxes have just made all its phones a bit more expensive. Coulomb, the new Head of Sales - India, has been with Apple for over 15 years. He recently led the sales team in South Asia, overseeing growth across diverse markets and is thus familiar with the challenges and opportunities of the Indian market as well. Coulomb has also led the Middle East, Turkey and Africa sales team which saw revenues double with new partnerships. In his Q4 earnings call early November, CEO Tim Cook had said the company’s India revenue had doubled year-over-year. “We were especially happy to return to growth in Greater China, where revenue was up 12 per cent from a year ago, and with our momentum in India, where revenue doubled year over year,” he was quoted as saying. He added that iPad sales also grew in India by 39 per cent. However, recent reports have suggested that demonetisation and GST have impacted Apple's sales in India. Yesterday, the company announced a hike in iPhone prices because of the 5 per cent import duty imposed by the government. This could put further pressure on the numbers in a price sensitive market like India. Growth in India, where it still has under 3 per cent of the market share, is crucial for Apple's overall plans. Recent reports quoted filing with the Registrar of Companies in which Apple India Pvt. Ltd said it recorded sales of Rs 11,619 crore ($1.8 billion) for the year ended March 2017. While this translates to a 17 per cent growth, it pales in comparison to the 53 per cent growth the year before. Coulomb will be based in India.
